The Deadliest Nightshade
by TakeNoPeace
Summary: REUPLOAD - It had the sweetest taste, like the Devil's Dessert. It became blindingly clear that evil is not always obvious. SasuFemNaru, slightly AU
1. Chapter 1

**Hi- this is a REUPLOAD. I am not stealing from Sailor Sunset, I am Sailor Sunset. My account is currently inaccessible right now, so I have entirely reuploaded the story. It is exactly the same, and there will be an extra chapter (alas it is not too long). I have finally plotted out the plot! Or the beginnings of it. Hopefully I shall persevere. Please excuse any spelling errors; I am not as vigilant as I would like to think. The pairing is SasuFemNaru and it is therefore AU. The events, however, will be fairly similar. I may diverge during Shippuden, however (the recent plot is boring me. I am on the verge of waiting for Tobi's identity, though! I think it's Kagami Uchiha. Look him up; you can't blame me! Not to mention, it would explain why Tobi is still alive. He's not that old. Not to mention timey-wimey jutsu and shit).**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto, any of its characters, locations, etc. It all belongs to Masashi Kishimoto and this is purely for creative purposes/I am not planning on making profit from his work. Thanks!**

**Please enjoy the chapter! **

* * *

The sea was both soft and sweepingly turbulent.

Its white horses swept themselves up into royal blue pyres, frothing at their peaks, before colliding with the bay, a bubbling spray soaring upwards before raining back into the midnight depths. The depths were aquamarine, an emerald tint to the darkened surface. Tiny sparrows washed themselves in shallow patches, dipping themselves into the water elegantly before shaking the drops of salted water off their plumage. The water simmered, silent in its midst yet ominously waiting for something to interrupt its delicate routine waves. Across from the pier, was a small coastal shelf, and here, lay a girl who bathed her feet in the water absent-mindedly as she remained deep in thought.

Ripples sailed in all directions from where she dipped her toes. The water was cold as a small breeze swept past her, and she shivered, her feet reeling from the water and drawing up close to her. The silken purple night gown was no salvation from the cold, and it blustered weakly in the wind. Her hairs stood on end, and silvery hair glistened in the moonlight.

She weakly clutched a tiny green purse, tucking it away from sight as the cold breeze wore away. The sun had long ago sank below the horizon, leaving her to nought but her own company. The girls long hair coated her somewhat, giving her the slightest shred of warmth against any oncoming weather. She looked upward to the starry night. The lights in the village were off, the only light the occasional lamp used to light the dreary streets; the stars were clear, winding in a path of distant galaxies, tiny stars that were somehow huge (she still didn't get that) and a distant reddish planet.

The girl shivered, and curled up to conserve warmth. "I should count the stars," she whispered in a low voice. It was an effort to ignore the cold, that might become horrific sometime later. She pointed a dainty finger at each star, 'til her eyes gave in and she closed them. Sometime later, her breathing evened out, and the girl slumbered.

* * *

Uchiha Sasuke thoughtlessly dragged himself down the path. He picked up the various stones and pebbles that littered the ground along the way. His coal eyes were looking toward the ground for the entirety of the small journey, and after collecting a considerable amount of rocks in his little satchel, he reached his destination. The wood creaked warningly beneath his feet, as it did every night, and squeaked in protest as he sat down on the end the long line of planks.

Absent-mindedly, he brought out his satchel, fishing out a series of small rocks with his left hand, and picking one out with his right. Sasuke brought his obsidian gaze to the moonlit stretch of water, and a shine from a short distance away caught his eye; ignoring it, he lunged forward, skipping a rock across the somewhat unsettled sea before him. It bounced off the tiny rippled waves, being eventually enveloped by a larger one and sinking downwards.

When he was somewhat younger, his father would guide his hand, telling him what angle to throw it out, and providing surprising force to aid his throw. What he heard from his brothers friend told him that his father had died with a bad final memory. Sasuke had heard low mutterings of a '_coup d'etat'_, whatever that may or may not be. _It doesn't sound Japanese, though_, Sasuke thought silently. He had loved his father, despite his harshness and disappointment sometimes. Nor, was it because it was his duty to love him as his son. The opposite; Sasuke had loved him because Fugaku, though harsh and biting with his reprimands, truly wished the best for him at heart, and forced improvement upon him. The boy wondered whether he was glad for that.

Somehow, even though it was scarce that they had a 'love' based moment, Sasuke felt this horrific aching in every cell of his body. A choking in the back of his throat, something that prevented him from speaking, a pounding headache, a pain that was so intense, yet something that painkillers nor sleep could cure.

If only sleep would come.

Once again, a similar glimmer appeared in the corner of his eye, and Sasuke directed his gaze towards it, only to discover it to be what seemed to be hair.

His eyes widened, a thick blush coating his cheeks that was barely visible in the dim lighting of the moon. Sasuke was not one to flatter women, but the girl it belonged to was very pretty, at the least.

The hair was long and luscious at least, wavy at its ends. The boy imagined it to be a pain to tend to in the mornings, yet looking at it, it seemed so perfect. The girl attached to it, had her eyes closed, a hand resting on her stomach. The ebony haired boy studied her as intently as he could from such a distance, and began to notice the ribs that jutted out of her silken nightgown. She looked terribly underfed; it was such a shock to him. Sasuke found it hard to believe that someone was struggling to eat properly in a village like Konoha, which was a prosperous ninja village.

Yet somehow, he guessed she wasn't sleeping on a coastal shelf optionally, and she certainly didn't look as though she was fed very well at all. Dubiously, but with no other option, Sasuke decided that what he saw in front of him was a small angel who had lost her wings.

Sasuke watched her silently for half an hour, ignoring the Moon's slow travel across the night sky as time passed. After watching her slumber motionlessly, with only the rise and fall of her chest to indicate if she was breathing, the young boy skipped the rest of his rocks. He stood up, wary of the creak of the wood, as though the slightest noise would wake her up. It did not. The Uchiha walked away delicately, looking back and wondering if he was asleep at last, and if this was a dream.

He resolved to return another night, as he wandered back to the Uchiha district to sleep. Sleep came.

* * *

In the early hours of morning, young Sasuke awoke, and trotted down the stairs, rubbing his eyes wearily and slipping his house slippers on as he entered the kitchen. His brother was already settled at the table, the only sign he had eaten the small crumbs that remained on his plate next to him. Itachi had, however, pushed it aside, reading a dull looking mission report and emitting almost inaudible sighs as he did so. Startled, he turned to his younger brother, and let a small smile show.

"Good morning, Sasuke," he said nonchalantly, standing up and picking up the mission report. "What's made you get up so early?"

The young boy twiddled his thumbs, looking downward and trying to smother a blush that fought to flood his cheeks. "I'm just going out on a long walk, Nii-san."

Itachi's eyes visibly softened, and he ruffled Sasuke's hair in mistaken sympathy. Sasuke realised that his elder brother assumed that he was missing his dad, and needed time to think. "Thats mine, Otouto. I'll be here all day- I think Mother has gone out. She might be at the shrine..." Itachi's eyebrows knotted, and he shook his head to clear his thoughts. "Take all the time you need, Sasuke."

Sasuke kept his head lowered, nodding fervently, putting on his shoes and jacket and exiting the house swiftly. He paced quickly through the Uchiha district, soon realising that it was pointless; no one was up this time of morning, except Itachi, who just enjoyed mornings. He soon found himself on the path he had been on the night before. After a sufficient time walking peacefully, the pierhead came into view, and the boy stepped along the creaky wooden planks before settling at the end. He turned his head, to see if the girl was still there; the Uchiha squinted his eyes. As he looked, he couldn't even see the coastal shelf...

Sasuke saw a glint of silver in the water, and realised with an aching jolt that the tide would have come in by now. Shocked, he looked at the water and tried to see the glinting silver again; _there it is!_ Bracing himself, Sasuke put down his ninja bag and dived in somewhat gracefully.

Though he could swim fairly well, he had less than perfect sight in this salty ocean. His eyes stung, however Sasuke propelled himself forward, searching for that glint of silver he had saw before. It shone. His lungs burned, and he came up for air, swimming over, and there he saw, on a submerged coastal shelf, the young girl who he had seen the night before. Ducking under, he wrapped his arms around her (it felt almost as though she would break in his hold) and pulled with all his might. She came with little resistance; her body was light. Sasuke pulled her, and himself, over to the bay, pushing her limp body onto the grass before pulling himself up.

To his surprise, her hair was not silver at all; it was a bright, shining blonde, and it was incredibly long. It stuck to her like a second skin now that she was soaked with salty water, and it suddenly occurred to him that the rise and fall of her chest was terrifyingly slow.

"Crap! Crap. What did Itachi tell me about this?!" Sasuke muttered to himself in a state of worry and horror. "100bpm, you don't need to liplock, just do 100bpm on her chest..."

Sasuke pressed his hands on her ribs, his arms completely straight as he pushed downwards in perfect beat. _What if I can't save her? What if she dies? _The compressions didn't seem to be working. _Kami-sama will never forgive me if I let an angel die..._

Wet, harsh coughing hit his eardrums, a sound that he was fully grateful for, as he saw the young girls eyebrows knot and heard the horrible, hacking coughs that rattled her chest. He moved to beside her, taking it upon himself to shakily slip and arm around the girls side and lift her upright. The coughing died down, and her eyes opened, and turned to him.

Bluer than the skies above him, and bluer than the sea below, were her eyes. Piercing, with cyan tones and wide, coal pupils that stared at him in shock and confusion. Her bones seemed as fragile as glass, and her collar bone jutted out. Sasuke waited for her to speak.

"I didn't ask you to save me!" she snorted loudly. She folded her arms in front of her chest, pouting. She looked at herself; the once beautiful, silken nightgown was marred with various sea debris, and it stuck to her. So did her hair; which too, had various miscellaneous bits of sea life in it. The angel looked him up and down, and looked downward, as though in submission. "...thank you."

Sasuke was fairly confused by these progressions. "What's your name?" he asked, deep in confusion. She lifted her head, and brush the hair off of her face, revealing whiskered cheeks, and a grin so bright that it could shame the sky.

"My name is Uzumaki Naruto, also known as the future Hokage!" she said cheekily, her eyes glinting with determination afresh. Sasuke nodded, one eyebrow raised at the young girl who had unchallenged mood-swings. "I'm gonna surpass..."

Sasuke looked at her, pondering her sudden stop in her loudly-voiced thoughts. Her eyes rolled back up into her head, and she fell into a heap, crumpling as easy as paper. The boy leaned down, heart pacing with worry as he took her pulse in her neck. It was a steady, strong pulse. _Thank God_, he muttered inwardly.

"Sasuke?" a deep voice resounded from behind him. He turned abruptly, locking sight with a pair of eyes as black as his own. "Otouto, what have you been doing? Is that little Naruto you have there?"

The young boy nodded, guiltily almost, and hooked his own hands behind his back as he looked downwards. "She was drowning, I saw her here last night, on the coastal shelf, but the tide came in and I..."

Itachi smiled, allowing a small laugh to come through. He closed his eyes, looking towards the clear sky. Today, Konoha was bathed in light, a beautiful sight to behold. The water was calm, and in it, you could see the Sun, a queen of all queens. Shining, unchallenged by any other star; the Sun made them thrive, by thriving itself. Though, he supposed, it would one day pass away, like any other star. "Its quite alright, Sasuke. Let's go home."

The elder Uchiha picked up the almost weightless young girl, and with Sasuke in tow, proceeded back to the Uchiha district. Sasuke took a glance at the young Naruto. Despite her spindly limbs and gaunt looking body, he had never heard such a strong voice, though many times he had heard her stutter. Such confidence was almost enviable.

_Perhaps she is an angel,_ he mused silently.

* * *

Naruto awoke quietly. She did not open her eyes, instead listening intently to her surroundings. Instead of cold air and water teasing her sides, there was something warm and insulating enveloping her, and she was wearing clothes that felt odd on her, not accustomed to her shape, unlike her others.

She turned onto her side, hair lolling over onto her face, a familiar feel in odd surroundings. _Why am I here?_ Pondering that, she realised that someone had saved her life, and she had yelled at them, and then passed out. Cosy and comfortable, she drew up her legs to her chest, before wondering exactly where she was. Warily, she opened her eyes, wincing at the light that seeped through. It was all... cream.

_This must be Sasuke's room_, she thought absent-mindedly. On the walls, there were picture frames. One of his father and him, one of them all as a family, and one of him and his brother. They were hung up in dark wooden frames, and looked very... well, family-like.

She hooked her legs out of bed, knocking into an unfamiliar bedside table and stumbling into a yet again unfamiliar wall. Leaning against it, she rubbed her eyes, and spotted a pair of slippers by the bed. Naruto slipped into them, and began to wonder what exactly she was wearing. Looking down, she saw that she was wearing a very casual yukata; a small white and red fan was emblazoned on the left breast, and very autumn like patterns and colours were on it. She shrugged, stumbling out into the hallway. The floors were varnished dark wood, and the doorways were also. The entire house was very tasteful, she noted. Walking into the kitchen, she was met with a pair of coal eyes, but a smile unlike Sasuke or Itachi.

"Mikoto-san!" Naruto squealed, happiness enveloping her as she threw herself at the woman's midriff, gripping her tightly as the woman had the air squeezed out of her. The woman smiled, ruffling Naruto's hair before gently prying the girl off of her. "I haven't seen you since the last festival!"

Mikoto nodded. "I was the one who dressed you, it was not one of the boys."

Naruto expressed a sigh of relief, a blush flooding her cheeks as she fiddled with the obi of her yukata. "Mikoto-san..." Naruto lowered her head, and she twiddled her thumbs awkwardly as she stuttered, trembling and trying to get her words out. "Thank you very much for this yukata, and for letting me in your home... could you help with my hair, please?"

The woman glanced at her hair, double-taking when she saw the tats that riddled it and the various objects entangled in said tats. The mother felt a slight pinch of sympathy for the girl, as she knew how immaculate Naruto had her hair- and how difficult it must be to maintain. Mikoto nodded, grabbing a small brush and sitting Naruto down.

As Mikoto battled various tats in her hair and removed odd items and tried to tackle the frizz that had developed from the salty water, the girl remained deep in thought. Worriedly, a lead-like weight settled in her stomach as she remembered why she had slept there that night. Though the night sky was fascinating, and much clearer away from street lights, it was far from optional; her landlady had kicked her out that night, as she did many, with a perplexing statement:

_"Demons don't sleep, right?"_

Naruto bent her head slightly, tears of anger and confusion filling her eyes. She blinked them back, only letting one sleep that she quickly wiped away. _Why? What did I do wrong?_ She blinked back more tears that threatened to leak out. As the Uchiha's mother finished working through her hair, the small girl turned around and buried her shaking head in her midriff, searching desperately for solace.

"Naruto," she murmured, running her fingers through the young girls hair. "Naruto..."

There was little comfort she could provide to the tearful little girl.

"I will go home now, thank you very much Mikoto-san," Naruto grinned, forcing a wide smile onto her face and bowing slightly. She tied her hair up into a lengthy ponytail, before slipping out of her house slippers and walking barefoot away. Mikoto felt a twinge of pain strike her in the chest as she saw Naruto walk away, evidently upset about something.

The Uchiha mother waved, guilt smothering her as she closed the door.

Naruto kept her line of sight directly at the cobblestones below, ignoring the sharp pains as various stones went into her feet as she tread along the path. _I should have wore shoes last night,_ she thought painfully as she walked. She felt the stare of disgusted villagers boring into the sides of her head, and felt the knocking pain of a stone hitting her in the back of her head. Naruto stumbled, tears filling her eyes as she hurried to stand back up, brushing off her yukata as quickened her pace. Faint shouts could be heard, from both kids and mothers alike as she desperately tried to cross the marketplace without incident.

"Why don't you just die?" an elderly woman hissed in her ear, making Naruto wince and quicken her fast pace to a jog as she tried to get away from the harsh jibes at her, the painful words that just had no foundation. Why she deserved all of this, was beyond her. She felt glass cut her leg, and the sound of a smash shortly behind her. Her eyes quickened to fill with tears.

_Why is it that nobody wants to speak to me?_

She rushed up the stairs to her apartment, closing her eyes tightly to ignore the whisperings that she could hear below, and sometimes the loud insults that resounded from the more bitter ones. The blonde didn't get it. Naruto just didn't understand why she was so hated. She didn't feel as though she had done anything particularly heinous, nothing that would really harm anyone. She rarely even performed pranks anymore. It was completely beyond her what she had done to deserve this treatment.

As she slipped the key in her lock, and slid the door open, she felt a harsh push on her back that caused her to tumble into her own apartment. The door slammed behind her.

Naruto wiped her eyes with the sleeve of her yukata. Showing her tears, she decided would make her weaker. Show everyone that it hurt. She knew it did, they probably knew it too, but never, ever would she admit it to their faces. She walked towards the small bedroom, and sat down on her bed. She had woken up in Sasuke's room, and in there, there had been pictures, pictures of him and his family. There had been someone there to take the pictures, someone to take the pictures with...

_So much more than I'll ever have._

Somehow, jealousy filled her, filled her to the brim, from her fingertips to her toes, she was oh so jealous, so jealous that someone could have companions, people to speak to that wouldn't ridicule him, criticise him and hate him. Naruto was jealous. Irrevocably jealous.

She sobbed.

* * *

Sarutobi took a long, thoughtful draw on his pipe.

This Hokage garb had been far too fancy for Minato, he recalled. Only at the Hokage meetings would the young man be caught wearing them, stating that it made him feel old. Then again, he was not a Hokage for very long anyway; as any mighty Hokage, however, he had sacrificed his life for the greater good. Silently, Sarutobi paid due respect to him. Looking up at the sky, he faintly remembered that that was the blue that had been so sharp and coloured in his eyes.

His newborn daughter had had those eyes too.

Closing his eyes, he puffed out smoke that swirled upwards like a grey-scale dragon. He had been fully prepared to retire, in his old age. Though, if his successor passed away, it was his duty to take up the Hokage title again, as he was still alive. Though when he passed, (he suspected soon) they would have to recruit another Hokage.

Looking over this large, busy village, he wondered about Uzushiogakure. Konohagakure was a successful, flourishing village, full of diverse ninja clans and plenty of civilian businesses. Trade was good, and they held good relationships with most villages, considering the ninja war a good few years ago. Uzushiogakure, was mere ruins now, a wrecked village that was completely destroyed. It was home to the Uzumaki clan, the clan of longevity and chakra that was both plentiful and powerful. Those born into it, were almost destined to live many years. They were mostly red-headed, also- evidenced by Kushina.

How rare, for a Jinchuuriki to survive extraction. Somehow, though, it seemed strikingly common in the Uzumaki generation to survive unlikely situations. _What a pity Minato never inherited that trait._

"Hiruzen-sensei!"

Sarutobi turned, and smiled softly at his former student. "Jiraiya. Come here." The man complied, stepping out onto the balcony, the humid air stifling as he overlooked the village. "What is it you wished to speak to me about?"

Jiraiya snorted, his deep voice resonating. The teacher remembered a time, that seemed not so long ago- when he was younger, a brand new jounin, when he had taught his team. They had, all in all, turned out odd. Tsunade had become a master of healing techniques but had left to gamble, and grew a chest somewhere along the line, the man in front of him spied on the Akatsuki and ended up writing porn, and the other one became a mad scientist and potential paedophile, by the looks of it. There was no one who had turned out normal; they were all blatant extremes. _How very odd._

"Its about Minato's girl." He turned to Sarutobi, sighing. "Itachi tells me that she must have been kicked out last night, because she slept on a coastal shelf. Fugaku's youngest found her drowning when the tide came in." He shook his head, white hair waving as Jiraiya thought deeply about the young outcast. "I don't think making the subject taboo will solve anything right now, Hiruzen-sensei."

Sarutobi looked downward, feeling a slight pinch of guilt as he thought about the grinning young girl. "Are you suggesting she leaves? Where will she go? She is so young, Jiraiya." The Third Hokage looked out to the busy village that was bustling with people. "This wasn't what Minato intended at all."

"He was an idealist," Jiraiya stated bluntly. "Its not always a good thing, but it sounds like one." He shut his eyes and leaned on the fence that overlooked the village. "I think we don't really have very many options here. She is bloody traumatized, Hiruzen-sensei. On her own, she's a grinning, bouncing ball of confidence, but the moment she gets a bad look from a villager, she's a trembling mess."

"So your suggestion is to shelter her from it for a few years?" Sarutobi questioned. "Where will you take her? To other villages?"

"I have a small house in Lightning Country. We'll stay there. Do I have permission to leave Konoha with her?"

Sarutobi laughed. "Do you even have hers yet? You have mine. Remember that she's involved in this too." He paused after this, stopping himself speaking as though trying to phrase his words properly. "Why are you taking it upon yourself to take care of his daughter, anyway?"

The man stopped, thinking about it himself. "I owe him one. I think we all do, since he saved Konoha. Right, Hiruzen-sensei?"

As Jiraiya walked away, Sarutobi stared at his back, and began to feel incredibly old, as he realized that 4 generations of ninja were below him now. _Jiraiya did, eventually, become... mature._

* * *

Naruto was interrupted by a light knocking at the door.

Realising that she still had tears in her eyes after all this time, she scrubbed at her eyes, rubbing frantically as she dashed out the door and prepared for any pissed off villagers wrath as she warily opened the door. She looked out, preparing for the worst-

"Naruto!" Jiraiya grinned, ruffling the girls tenderly cared to locks. She pouted in dismay, fixing her hair before returning his wide, toothy grin. He smiled, before letting a more somber look cross his face. "I have an offer for you, Naruto."

Naruto tilted her head, a silent question.

"I'm going to be heading off for a few years, to Lightning Country. I have the Hokage's permission to take you with me, if you want. We'll train, I'll feed you, you won't have to worry. You don't have to come with me. But, I highly suggest you do."

The young girl was left fairly dumbstruck by the suggestion. Jiraiya was a friend of the Third Hokage, and therefore a friend of hers. He had often walked around with her, and they had eaten together and laughed. Sometimes, when the Third was busy with Hokage duties, Jiraiya would look after her, but it was another thing to go to another country with him.

Somehow, it bothered her that she wasn't really bothered at all by leaving Konoha. Naruto felt a bit disturbed that she didn't really feel very much attachment to this village, aside from the Hokage, Mikoto, those two boys, and Iruka. Jiraiya too, of course. Surely she should have felt more compassion for it-

"I will give you 'til the end of tomorrow to decide. I'll be by the gates tomorrow afternoon at 6, bring all your clothes. I'll have the food, and so on and so forth. Just bring all the necessary clothes, personal belongings. Though I wouldn't bring anything big, since Lightning country isn't close." Jiraiya smiled at the still speechless little girl. "Come on, lets go for ramen."

She did not object.

* * *

**The Next Day**

Sasuke groaned as he heard Itachi's low voice calling his name. He would have rather remained in bed. He had gone out for one of his midnight walks after a difficult case of insomnia, and now he was so tired. Why was Itachi so determined to get him up anyway?

"Sasuke." Itachi sounded irritated. "Get up!"

The young boy wondered what he had done, or what someone else had done, to tickle his temper. "Why? What's up?"

Itachi sighed. The young Uchiha supposed that he may have misread irritation for concern. "That Naruto girl you fished off of that coastal shelf wants to speak to you." Sasuke pulled himself up, pushing the blankets off of himself and slipping into his house slippers. Still wearing loose black pyjamas, he stumbled into the hallway, trying to open his eyes enough to actually tell what was going on to an extent that wasn't useless.

He saw lengthy, silken blonde hair trail along the floor as the girl bowed deeply at the doorstep. Sasuke replied in a less than dignified manner; "Wha-?"

Naruto enveloped him in a big, tight hug, and her grip did not relent until Sasuke made a considerate effort to pry her arms off of him. She had an iron grip, he decided silently. "Thank you very very much for helping me the other night, Sasuke." She paused, trying to articulate her sentences in a polite manner. "I... I really needed the help. Thank you."

The obsidian-eyed Uchiha looked, and was, helplessly confused. "Why are you coming to apologise now?" _At this bloody time in the morning? Jeez..._

He saw her reel, as if sensing the cranky bitterness in his tone. It was as though he'd physically bitten at her with his words, somehow. She began to stutter. "W-Well, you see, I'm... I'm going away to Lightning Country today, and I... I wanted to say thank you, and erm..."

Sasuke felt a pang of annoyance at that. Why was she going? As stupid as it was, perhaps whimsical, he wouldn't have minded if she'd have stayed. He... might go as far to say that he wanted her to stay, but then again, he'd only spoken to her once. It was just that warm, if sometimes nervous aura that she gave off, made him feel comfortable and safe. _Happy, too... _

"and... erm, I'd like to write to you, if that's okay," she finished nervously, tapping her fingertips together and fiddling with her clothes as she nervously awaited his reply. Naruto bit her lip.

"Sure," Sasuke agreed. "Itachi, can you write down the address for me?"

Another deep sigh. "Yeah, okay Otouto. You do need to learn it, though..."

"Just write it down!"

The two children heard the faint scribbling of a pen, and Itachi opened the door to the kitchen and passed a small piece of paper to Sasuke, who then passed it to Naruto. The young girl tucked it in her pocket, and let loose a beaming smile, that sent a flooding blush to his cheeks upon sight. Though sometimes anxious, Sasuke decided that the angel he had met had a beautiful, beautiful smile, brighter than any he had ever seen.

"Thank you... Sasuke?" She winced, as though fearing she were wrong.

"Yeah, Sasuke, its Sasuke." He smiled, though it was smaller and not as warming as hers. He could, however, guarantee it was genuine. "You're welcome, Naruto."

She giggled, her cheeks rosy as she began casual conversation with the young boy.

Itachi, tucked away in the kitchen, closed his eyes, but allowed a small smile to creep up on his face upon hearing the animated debates and conversation that Naruto and Sasuke spoke about so wildly.

_Its as though they've been friends for a long time..._ he thought oddly, before shaking off the thought and continuing to listen to the somewhat sweet conversation that passed between the two naïve children.

"Get off my hair, old man!"

The Third Hokage raised an eyebrow at the young girl, before chuckling and continuing to ruffle her hair. "I wish you the best of luck, Naruto. I'm sure Jiraiya and you will have a fabulous journey. Let us pray it is a safe one." Looking down at the young girl, she was as thin as ever. Though, with Jiraiya's care, it was doubtful that would be for long.

"Thanks," she smiled, hooking the backpack onto her shoulder once again. "I'll see you later, old man." She turned to the Uchiha's. Though she only knew Mikoto faintly, she had come to see her again, a small gesture that tickled her and made her feel warm and happy in the pit of her stomach; even if it was just to wave her off. With her, she had brought her two sons.

Itachi had wished her the best of luck. Though she had scarcely spoke to him, she got the feeling that his tone of voice that was cold at first glance, had warm, kind undertones. She smiled at him once again, feeling happy that someone had the decency to treat her as a person, unlike so many others she could recall.

Sasuke, stood on height with her, gave her a big big hug, and shot her a warm smile. Though she had known him for little to no time at all, Naruto felt as though that was a rarity, and treasured seeing that wonderful smile. He should smile more, she thought absent mindedly.

"I promise I'll write letters lots, but you have to write back you know!" Naruto grinned, giggling as she said it. "I'll tell you how I'm doing! You'll have to tell me what its like back here, too."

"Yeah," he smiled. "Tell me what Lightning country is like, too. I've never been. Take a picture, will you?"

"I will!" Naruto smirked. "Don't forget to tell me what jutsus you've learned, too! I'll try and learn some supercool ones." Sasuke agreed, and the adults looked at them in awe, amazed by the lack of ignorance emitted by the young boy towards the girl, normally exhibited by anyone who had witnessed the heinous behaviour of the villagers towards the girl. She wrapped his arms around him, giving him a bone-crushing hug. "I'll miss you."

Jiraiya hurried her along, and the girl waved, hair fluttering in the warm breeze as she stepped away from Konoha, and waved with a smile to those that stood by the gate waving back. As they grew too distant to see, Naruto fumbled in her pocket for the piece of paper. Looking at it, she felt a butterfly-like feeling in her tummy.

"29, Uchiha District, huh..."

* * *

**Very light hearted so far. It is not always like this. Sorry to disappoint you.**


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N: Oh thank you all so much for reading this! I think you'd better get down to reading it. This chapter is just kind of sweet, and nice to read. Nothing too stressful or WAAAAR!-ish here. Which is good, because I've been reading too much of that recently and its really getting me stressed out (how stupid is that.), haha! Thanks for reviewing and reading my fic. Here is your update!**

* * *

**Uzumaki Naruto**

**Lightning Country**

**Kumogakure**

**Matsuyama District**

**12-3**

**Uchiha Sasuke**

**Fire Country**

**Konoha-gakure**

**Uchiha District**

**29-1**

_To Sasuke,_

_It's been a long 2 years... I'd be pushing 3, if I stayed here much longer. Lightning country sure is beautiful, you know. Though, a small walk here consists of a mountain or two; there are a lot of glades, as I've realised over these years. Did you get the photo I sent you last time? It sure is beautiful here. The hot springs are so nice too, though I'm not very keen on the mixed gender ones..._

_Though Jiraiya-sensei loves them, he's always staring at the women in them... he calls it research. I swear to God, those books should make him a sexual offender. Anyway, the springs here are really nice, and so are the people. Oddly enough, tons of people ask for Jiraiya's autograph after writing those books, though I could have sworn one of his books wasn't as popular..._

_Anyway, there was some huge storm last night! It felt like the house was going to fall apart, Jiraiya thought I was worrying too much. The lightning was horrible, though... if that's why this is called Lightning Country, why is the Fire Country called that? This doesn't make very much sense... Anyway, I'm getting on the boat in a few days. We'll be sailing past loads of little smaller islands, to get past two countries, so it'll be a winding trip. I can't wait to be home, even though my apartment is, and was a complete and utter mess. It'll be nice to see Konoha when I look out my window again._

_I've missed you too. Even though we only spent a day or so together, these letters are something to look forward to every so often. I'm glad you send them; thanks, even though you can be really late sometimes and other times, they'll be really short! Jeez. Is Itachi okay these days? How's Mikoto-san?_

_I really do miss the busy-like loudness of Konoha, sometimes. Though big, bustling cities can get really boring and irritating, they're a welcome difference to this. I won't deny that its nice to open your door and hear nothing but the wind and wildlife, however... it sure is nice to have company, even if that company doesn't treat you well or speak to you._

_I told you about Tsunade-san, right? She came to see me a few times. Her and Jiraiya-sensei drank so much sake, I couldn't believe it you know! Dear Lord, her boobs are huge too! From what I hear, she was on a team with Jiraiya, but she looks so young! She's awfully strong too, she ruptured the ground completely on a nearby training field. Its near rubble now! I hope I can become like her- she had to go, though. She says that, but she went off with some strange lady with a pet pig._

_Whatever. Anyway, I'll post this in the morning- write back as soon as you get it! Otherwise, I won't get it, I'll probably be gone. When I get back, we'll go out to the festival! I'm sure its on soon, right? I always see your mum there, so I hope we can go together! I left the yukata your mum gave me in my old wardrobe, by the way, so she should have taken it back by now._

_Miss you Sasuke! See ya soon. Find enclosed a picture of me sleeping that Jiraiya took drunk with Tsunade._

_Write back A.S.A.P.!_

_From,_

_the Number One Uzumaki Naruto, a.k.a. The Future Hokage_

_x_

Naruto tucked away the letter, putting down the ink-dip pens that were so fashionable here in the mountains. Though she couldn't deny the pretty outcome that was so calligraphic from the quill-like tool, it was a pain to use, and she was scared of getting ink blotches on her work and having to start again.

"Are you done yet? I'm working on a manuscript, and I need that ink!"

The girl sighed, placing the lid on the ink pot and passing it over to Jiraiya, giving him a brief note before passing him the pen also. "Wait, I need to write his name on the front of the envelope!"

She slipped the letter in to the envelope, sealing it carefully before writing 'Sasuke' on the front, as warily as she could with the ink pen- "Goddammit! I got an ink blotch on the edge!"

Jiraiya peeked over her shoulder, white hair tickling her head. He sighed. "Don't be so whiny. Write the address on it too, moron. I'll get a bird to deliver it."

Dipping the pen in the ink carefully, she wrote the delivery address, from largest geographical location to smallest, as was typical in Japanese addresses. Satisfied with her letter, she passed her utensils back to her sensei as he called a messenger bird in. Though it was typically used to deliver messages to the Hokage, such as reports on Naruto's wellbeing and training, Sarutobi was not one to get angry. This would most likely not bother him, and he would just pass it to the Uchiha's without incident. It was excusable.

The young girl tucked the letter into a pouch tied to the bird, and she fed it sunflower seeds til it was satisfied. Chirping what seemed to be a thanks, it set off, heading south west.

* * *

**Uchiha Sasuke**

**Fire Country**

**Konoha-gakure**

**Uchiha District**

**29-1**

**Uzumaki Naruto**

**Lightning Country**

**Kumogakure**

**Matsuyama District**

**12-3**

_To Naruto,_

_That photo was really nice, the one you took from the mountain. It must have been difficult to get up there, though, by the looks of it. Jiraiya writes that "Icha Icha" series, doesn't he? My sensei loves them, he constantly reads them instead of actually training us. We recently got sorted into genin teams, but we only have a two man cell right now. I assume you must be on our team then, but you're not back yet. Iruka-sensei must have organised it that way, or something or other._

_There's a really annoying girl on my team. She just won't shut up; she constantly talks about me, to me. I don't think she realises, that upon living with myself, I know quite a bit about myself. She seems to find it necessary to repeat it to me, for God knows what reason. Sakura, her name is. Do you remember her? Probably not. But she's annoying. Really annoying._

_You always ask silly questions like that, though I guess it really doesn't make very much sense if you think about it. I guess its not down to to what the country is like all the time, I guess. Its just called what its called. Speaking of countries, though, you'll be going past a few smaller islands on your way here, as you said. I think one of them, is, uh, what was it? Whirlpool Country? Uzushiogakure was completely obliterated I hear, I can't quite remember why._

_You'll be going pretty close to Wave Country, too. That's a pretty small country, however its really foggy and beautiful there, I think. Eerie, though. Watch out for it._

_This photo of you is really weird, by the way. Its a bit odd that you're hanging off your bed in your own sleep. How can you sleep like that?_

_Hmph, I guess I miss you too. Though you should be grateful I even reply to your letters rather than complaining about when you get them or their length. Itachi's okay, he's training to be a Jounin already, so he's constantly studying for his exams and practicing in the training grounds all day long. He can hardly ever help me with my homework... Mum's okay, the festivals soon though. She tries to help out with setting up the decorations, so she's kind of busy. I don't think she's even in right now..._

_I'd rather be in the countryside, its too loud here. People are constantly chattering about useless things that nobody actually cares about. Lightning Country sounds a lot better than this, its too loud here. People are getting excited over nothing._

_Tsunade? She's one of the Sannin, along with the other guy that isn't even in Konoha anymore. I think she's an expert medical ninja, funnily enough. Itachi talks about her as though she's very formidable, so I can imagine her blowing up a field or two with her fist, from what I know. Jiraiya was on a team with her and the other guy, I think; they were a great asset in the Shinobi war, according to Iruka-sensei. He's been missing you, by the way._

_I've written back soon enough, stop moaning. Mums taking us all to the festival, anyway._

_I'll see you soon, Naruto._

_Sincerely,_

_Uchiha Sasuke_

Itachi laughed from over his shoulder, chuckles reverberating due to the deep tones of his elder brothers voice. "Even with the girl you like, you can't help but be cold?"

The younger Uchiha snorted angrily. "Hn! As if I like that idiot. She writes too much on these letters. I don't care that much about them." In direct contradiction to his words, Sasuke carefully folded up his received letter, slipping it back into his envelope and placing it on the mantelpiece. He blew lightly on the ink of his freshly-written letter, leaving the ink to dry for but seconds as he folded it up and slipped it into a letter that had near perfect calligraphic print on the front of the correct address and Naruto in perfect Katakana.

"You've wrote almost as much as her, Sasuke-" Itachi pointed out, face filled with mirth at Sasuke's dismay. As though making out that his opinion didn't matter to him, his younger brother pointedly ignored the truth of that comment, instead feeding the messenger bird and placing his letter in its pouch. The bird flew away to the north east. "Not to mention, you did write as soon as you got the letter."

"Whatever, Itachi." Sasuke turned away, as though he didn't need Itachi's approval. Leaving the house, he wondered whether the older Uchiha had spied the faint rosy pink that dusted his cheekbones. That was not to say, that he liked Naruto, far from it. It was just, you know, he felt rude not replying to her stupid letters, and you know, he just didn't like Itachi constantly questioning him, he had his own reasons, and-

Sasuke mentally told himself to shut up before proceeding to help his mother with redecoration.

* * *

Itachi felt so tired from reading all those useless mission reports, and this was one of the few mornings that he did not feel as though he should get early to cook and relax. Sadly, this was also one of the few mornings that actually required him to do so. His younger brother came bounding down the stairs, rattling off about how Itachi and Mikoto needed to get ready immediately so they could go welcome the young girl back at the gates.

He wondered whether she needed to be welcomed back, before deciding that it would most likely be courteous to do so. The Uchiha was just so tired. He had to read an extremely detailed mission report from a determined young genin on the Daimyo's wifes' cat, and write a quick summary and approval at the bottom. It was hell, because although he had heard that story countless times before, if he missed a vital detail, it could risk him his status. Itachi sighed, head in hands as he heard his younger brother pacing the house. He came into the kitchen.

"Nii-san, are you ready? We're going in five minutes."

Itachi chuckled. "Has she become the object of your affections over these years, Sasuke? You aren't half rushing us off to see her. Its awfully early, you know."

The younger Uchiha spluttered, quick to comment on Itachi's assumption. "No! Don't be stupid, I don't- er, I don't like her! She just wrote letters and I feel mean, you know? I-"

The small chuckle that came from Itachi earlier rose into a half-laugh, and he ruffled his little brothers hair, as he stood up from the table and moved over to the sink. Splashing cold water on his face, he saw the reflection of Sasuke fixing his hair hurriedly in the window, from where Itachi had ruffled it. He stifled a laugh; though, he couldn't deny the old-fashioned sweetness of a long-distance crush, with sweet letters to one another.

He heard his mum fussing over her looks, asking Sasuke how she looked (an awful question to ask a man, it was a gamble- say the wrong thing and prepare yourself for punishment) and patting her make-up on carefully. Itachi had always believed his mum was a beautiful woman, as most young kids believed. She had a sweet nature that was unmistakeable, too.

Oddly enough, it appeared young Sasuke had fallen in love with a diverse young girl, from what he read in the most recent letters. It was difficult to tell in the pictures whether she had gained any weight, however he hoped she had. Her weight had been startling.

Itachi heard the front door open, and Sasuke stroll outside. As Sasuke walked, Mikoto called into the house. "Itachi, are you coming? Hurry up, Naruto will arrive in a minute!"

The boy placed his work on the side, and saw, tucked by the mirror, a scented spray for males. Chuckling, shaking his head and feeling happy for his little brother, Itachi walked through the hallway and out of the house, locking the door behind him as Sasuke hurried on ahead.

_I don't think Sasuke really knows what he feels for that girl. I'm glad that of all girls it could have been, though, it was her._

* * *

Sasuke stood at the gates, nervously tapping his feet (though, he supposed nobody else would see it as nervous; but as far as he knew, he never fidgeted) as he waited impatiently for her. His elder brother smirked at him, only further antagonising him, and his mother spoke calmly with the Hokage, who too was waiting with them.

"Hokage-sama, what do you think Naruto will be like?" she smiled. "I doubt she'll be as thin anymore."

The Third Hokage smiled, his voice low and raw from age as he said, "I have no idea. I don't know what Jiraiya is like to train, I only know what he's like to be trained, since I trained him a lot." He lit his pipe, taking a deep pull on it and looking upwards, smoke seeping from his chapped lips before he blew it out, the smoke swirling delicately. "I can feel their chakra; they're almost here. In fact-"

"SAAAAASUUUUKEEEE!"

"-I think they're here."

A blonde blur bounced to the gate, stopping abruptly and panting for breath, hands on her knees as she waited for her mentor to catch up with her. The girl placed her oversized backpack onto the ground next to her; she stood up, finally having caught her breath, and the Uchiha family almost reeled from her difference.

A thin, flat ribcage had toned to leave no bone visible, and had allowed perky breasts to develop. Her waist dipped in visibly, before flourishing outwards to allow for her hips and thighs. Naruto had become a woman, a toned one; with toned, fit legs, and hips that were softly curvaceous. Though, there was signs she was far from her late teens, like her round face and big, broad smile, and the fact that though her curves were evident, they were not big enough to be very womanly. Her stomach, only slightly visible from where her shirt had ridden up, showed firm muscles, from training. They realised she must have trained everyday, and the healthy glow on her skin confirmed that.

"It's been such a long time!" she panted, brushing hair off of the sides of her face and tucking it behind her ear. Looking around, Naruto smiled, recognising the large gates with the letters "A" and "N" imprinted on, with calligraphic hiragana. She also recognised the small buildings, the faces carved into the mountain, and the Hokage tower in the distance. "This really makes a difference to the countryside in Lightning Country..."

Naruto choked on her own saliva as her mentor slapped her in the back, causing her to topple over onto the floor and heave for breath. "That's what you get for running ahead! The village isn't going anywhere," Jiraiya scolded, before leaning down and pulling the young girl up by the collar of her shirt. "You're so impatient!"

"I know, I know! But I haven't been here for so long!" Naruto grinned. She turned to the Hokage, broad grin on her face as she hugged him tight. "Old man, you reek of smoke."

The Hokage chuckled, shaking his head at the young eccentric girl that had flourished so much since he had last seen her. Though he did his best to take her out to eat as often as he could, he was not always there to look after her, and she had become shockingly thin. It was nice to see Minato's child so beautiful, with eyes once filled with pain so filled to the brim with happiness and determination. Though but a few sparing moments Minato had spent with his daughter, Hiruzen recognised true, unbridled love in those eyes that were so very alike.

Jiraiya had truly taken in this girl and changed her. Or perhaps, just brought out what was behind the fear and pain.

Naruto smiled at him, closing her eyes and wrapping her arms around his neck as well as she could despite her slight shortcomings in height. She nodded at him, before turning to the Uchiha's, and proceeding to greet them respectively, starting with a young, supposedly nonchalant boy, that had a rosy tone dusting pale cheeks.

"Sasuke! I've been reading all your letters these past couple of years." She smiled, patting the backpack she had set beside her. "I still have them with me! Thanks for writing, even though you sound like you've become a bit of an asshole these past years." Naruto grinned, pinching his cheek as he snorted at her.

"Hn. I only wrote to you cause I felt mean not replying."

The girl pouted, but Itachi shook his head as he heard the bite in Sasuke's comment that his younger brother probably didn't. He couldn't help but think this was all quite harsh, though he was glad Naruto had built up the resolve and determination over the years (and probably through various sarcastic letters from Sasuke with many of those comments in) in order to ignore those comments and simply bounce back from them. _What a bite he has in his words._

"I hope you'll feel at home, Naruto-san. I assume you've not passed your exam, then?" Itachi said, looking her up and down in a search for her headband.

She shook her head, blushing in embarrassment. "I couldn't in Lightning Country, they would obviously only give me a headband to Kumogakure... and my loyalties lie here, obviously! Since I'm going to be Hokage and stuff." Her voice became progressively upbeat as she spoke.

Sasuke snorted at her, but the slight curl of his lips gave away his fondness for the upbeat girl, and somehow, Itachi could see very blatantly in Sasuke's expression that he held a slight romantic affection for her, however slight it may be.

"And stop pretending you didn't want to write those letters, lying bastard." Naruto wrapped her arms affectionately around his neck, pulling him in for a tight, bone-crushing hug. Though his younger brother reeled from the tightness and looked like his breath had been squeezed out of him, he reluctantly hugged her back.

Abruptly, Mikoto, who had been smiling silently for so long her presence had been near forgotten, spoke up. "Naruto-san, the festival is tomorrow, you know? Come along with me, dear! I'll get you a yukata ready, just come pick." Her smile was warming, and no one in this town had ever made her feel so welcomed. Except maybe the Hokage himself.

She smiled, and nodded. "Just give me a moment will you? My hairs falling out. Ero-sennin, come help."

Jiraiya sighed, and began to grumble as he tugged her hair out of its tightly knotted bun. "You should just get it cut. It's longer than mine, it'll just get in the way if you don't!"

Her hair tumbled to the ground. Her hair was relatively straight and obedient, though it had slight kinks in from where she had knotted it tightly up into a bun. Sasuke's eyes widened in surprise as he saw the sheer length of it, however. It piled up somewhat on the floor, and it was shimmering, gorgeous and glowing as Naruto tugged at it, twirling it around her fingers. It was flowing, and seemed almost endless. The youngest Uchiha also imagined that it would be quite heavy, too; a couple of pounds, or so.

Naruto laughed at Sasuke's bemused expression. "There wasn't any hairdressers in Lightning Country, and somehow, I feel as though I shouldn't cut it..." She sighed in dismay as she saw that dust and dirt had gotten on her hair, and she shook it off as Jiraiya bound it into a pony tail that allowed it to hover off the ground by a few centimetres.

"You need to learn to tie it into a knot! You're no help, Ero-sennin," the girl pouted, poking the ponytail with dismay evident as it dangled precariously above the ground. "Mikoto-san, I'll come now! Just let me go put my stuff back in my apartment."

Sasuke opened his mouth to speak, but Itachi placed a firm hand on his shoulder and smiled. "I'll come with you," his deep, but somehow kind voice stated, while Sasuke nodded in reluctant agreement. The grinning young girl nodded, motioned for them to follow her and picked up her baggage as she waved energetically to the others.

The youngest Uchiha grew somewhat anxious.

* * *

The blonde haired Uzumaki dropped her baggage in shock, as the door swung open and hit the wall with a light tap. The Uchiha siblings gazed in from behind her, and admired their handiwork.

The floors had been swept and varnished, once dirty floorboards glistening beneath her feet. The walls were painted a calm cream, and alike to the floorboards, all the door frames too were varnished. Everything had been cleaned and dusted, organised and the window that was once smashed had been replaced. Everything looked so... oddly homely, considering Naruto had never really considered this house that homely considering the lack of any family to share it with.

She stepped away from her abandoned baggage and warily pushed the door to her bedroom open, and felt her eyes widen at the sight of the bed covers that had been replaced and pulled taut, the pillows had been replaced and propped up carefully. Her wardrobe was tidy, her slippers placed at the bottom.

Lo and behold, the icing on the cake; on the walls, was every photo that she had sent Sasuke in her absence. They were framed, hung on the sides of her bedroom. Pictures with Jiraiya, all from Lightning Country, the one of her sleeping, odd photos that her sensei and her had taken here and there. There was even one of her a year ago, setting up for the festival with Mikoto.

Naruto felt tears prickle her eyes, as she realised- as slow as her realisation may have been- that it had been the Uchiha's, who had painted her walls, varnished her floors, replaced her broken and battered items that had been sold to her either in mistake or in a state of decay by the villagers. Turning around, tears falling from her eyes, she saw Itachi smiling slightly, Sasuke allowing a small curl of the lips (which might have been a smile) to crawl up onto his face, and their mum sweetly smiling.

Tears began to stream down, far beyond Naruto's control, as she realised that there were people that cared about her and her well being, people that had been waiting for her return, people that wanted her in this village. People who loved her, and she in turn, loved.

She considered choking out a thank you, but decided it would probably come out as a tearful gasp. Instead, she bowed her head, allowing her tears to stain the floor, before dashing towards them and barrelling into them, wrapping her arms around the three. They laughed, and Sasuke shook his head. He'd been expecting a thank you, however he surmised that this was the equivalent, in her tearful state.

The pit of his stomach felt faintly warm.

* * *

**A/N: Is it me or was this chapter like, a filler? I dunno. The name of the story will become clear. And because this chapter didn't have very much plot significance (well it did but not as much as some chapters will) I'll bring out another in the next week. I apologise for neglecting my other story but there is so much PLOT in the other one. Besides this one is a whole new world for me, whereas I know the ending and stuff for the other one.**

**Far more fun to write this!**

**And you're all sweethearts for reviewing. I had 1 review, and then I checked back and had 5! It was really weird. Thank you all so much! It makes me feel so loved to have reviews. I just need to know that its worth updating and stuff. Judging by reviews, people are reading this more than the other one, so I'll update this one much faster! ^^**

**Thank you all for reading :] I'll update soon hehe x**


	3. Chapter 3

** A/N: I do not normally do this, but I highly recommend playing Marty Friedman's "Ashita e no Sanka" cover song whilst reading all this chapter, as I wrote it with that in the back and that is how I intend it to be read. It has a very Japanese, dramatic feel, and I feel as though it incorporates many emotions. Please put it on loop as you read through it. I feel awful for demanding this but that is how I intend this chapter to be read. Although, if you absolutely DESPISE the piece after one listen through, fair enough. But the mood in that piece is what I incorporated into this chapter.**

** Also thank you for the reviews! You're all so sweet. This chapter is very long and you have my apologies. It has some dramatic parts too- I'm very sorry, its becoming less sweet. It will still be a very fluffy story, but right now its got quite a bit of drama.**

** Enjoy, thank you very much!**

* * *

"What about this one?"

Mikoto tutted, holding up the honey coloured piece of fabric and shaking her head at it, as though scolding it. She looked it up and down, lifting the material here and there. The yukata was a very pretty style, with silky material and a comfortable net underneath it. The fabric glistened, however orange simply wasn't the colour. "You're blonde-haired and blue eyed. You simply can't wear orange, young lady." Naruto took note of the woman's odd seriousness when it came to clothes. Looking around, Mikoto spied a gorgeous red yukata in the corner.

"Try this one," she garbled, passing Naruto the coat hanger and ushered her into a dressing room. "I'd much rather you wear blue, but this is a festival for the Will of Fire, and I'm sure you'll look lovely in red anyway."

After fiddling with getting her clothes off, the young girl slipped into the yukata, doing up the bow with some difficulty. Looking at herself in the dressing room mirror, Naruto felt vaguely uncomfortable. Her chest was on clear show, as were her hips, due to the obi that was tied tightly around her waist. The patterns on it were floral and flowing, as was customary with the younger generation. On the back, the red swirl was sewn, as with most kimonos and yukatas in Konoha.

_The colours are beautiful, though,_ Naruto reluctantly decided. She unlocked the dressing room door, allowing Mikoto to see her adorning the yukata.

"Oh, Naruto! You look gorgeous- this is beautiful! You can have this one. It's only cotton, its not expensive; I'll pay."

Naruto nodded absent-mindedly as she stared at herself in the mirror. Pulling at the material gently, she looked at herself and wondered hazily, _Do I really look gorgeous?_

A voice murmured quietly in the depths of her thoughts, and she ignored it, but not before she heard,

_Do you think he'll think so?_

* * *

The evening was blustery, in a warm manner. There were small red and gold leaves that were caught on the wind, tumbling down the street and passing by the feet of various villagers and children. The night itself had a brisk feel; the wind was brisk, and the footsteps of the people were too.

Mikoto was hurriedly lighting lamps, illuminating the narrow streets with warm lights, and the city was beautiful. In the square, there was a group of young women dancing gracefully, and in the crowds watching happily, was Naruto. _They look like cranes_, she thought happily, as the women moved softly, long and wide sleeves fluttering in the wind.

Abruptly, she was poked in the back, and she turned around to see none other than Mikoto herself, smiling at her. "Naruto, the next dance is for the young women of the village, if you remember. You should go up!"

Brief clapping was heard as the women glided away from the centre of the square, and the elderly woman Koharu announced the next dance on a microphone. Mikoto pushed her forward into the square, and Naruto briefly remembered a similar night in Lightning Country, in which she had to dance also. They had been in opal coloured kimonos, donned with pure white flowers. It'd all been very clear and beautiful, and they then, especially, had looked like cranes, pursuing flight in elegant manoeuvres.

Here, the dances were similar, but more lively- due to Fire country tradition. As other young women danced, Naruto began to recognise the movements that swayed and glided like doves, and she began to lift her arms and flow with the music, her legs and arms moving of their own accord as the music carried her away, like a river carrying her downstream. She felt her hair fall out behind her, but she carried on, hair trailing behind her like a veil as she danced. As her body swayed and twirled in such a serene, elegant way, she felt almost like a flame, even more so in her floral yukata. The girl briefly looked around, and saw that everyone too, looked like flames in their dance. Never before had she felt so alive. Her yukata sleeves fluttered like butterflies in the blustery autumn wind, and red and gold leaves battered at their feet as they were carried along by the breeze.

She danced. Her arms lifted and fell, and she span and twisted gently when the drums and erhus demanded it. The girl was so very glad she had wore red, for everyone else had, and they all glowed and burned with will and beauty. The warm zephyr made them flicker, alike to gently blowing upon a candle. This was the Will of Fire at its greatest; the gentle dance of the new generation, the brand new beginning for all of Konohagakure.

_We're like a massive inferno_, she smiled, _that is lighting up the skies._

* * *

"Nii-san, where's Mother?"

Itachi glanced around, before catching sight of his waving mother in the congregations around the large circle of dancing young girls in the square. "She's over there, Sasuke. Come on, lets go."

"Wait-"

Sasuke stopped. Something had caught his eye; a fast glint of gold. As he turned to search for it in the large group of elegantly dancing women, he saw none other than Naruto.

His heart skipped a beat. Though so young and naïve, and consistently clumsy by the sounds of it in her letters, she had managed to look absolutely beautiful. The sleeves of her yukata trailed behind her, making her almost winged. Her eyes shone, a bright blue in the dancing cloud of red cotton yukatas. Her hair had fallen out, and it was almost like a trail of gold, left by an angel that had tripped and fallen from the clouds onto the Earth. Sasuke had never been attracted by a woman before, never had any interest in the swarms of women that cooed over him, announcing their adoration for him constantly, Sakura especially. Never, despite the many times they had pressed themselves onto him, had Sasuke found any remote attraction for them. Yet, looking at this girl, as she smiled and allowed her body to flow gracefully with the beautiful music, the youngest Uchiha felt his heartbeat speed up, his palms begin to sweat and cheeks redden. Somehow, though, he felt he had no explanation.

Because Sasuke would never like an idiot like her, because she was an idiot, and he was an Uchiha, and Uchiha's don't like idiots, because they don't.

"I can see what you mean, Sasuke. She really does look very beautiful tonight," Itachi said, smiling at his younger brother. They both looked at the young girl, who was dancing energetically. Her steps, more well timed and refined than either of the Uchiha's expected them to be, were beautiful and unmistakeably talented. "Mother certainly picked an excellent yukata for her."

Sasuke dragged his gaze from the dancing young woman and shook his head. "I don't think she looks beautiful at all! I just didn't expect her to be a good dancer, that's all. She's an idiot!" He glued his line of sight to the cobblestones below, and walked over to his mother with the elder Uchiha.

"What do you think of the festival? It's so beautiful this year," Mikoto smiled in delight. "Naruto is especially beautiful, don't you think? She must have learned how to dance in Lightning Country. I never would have guessed, myself!"

Itachi nodded in agreement, looking at the swaying young girl that span so elegantly and in time with the gentle oriental music. The youngest said nothing, nonetheless Itachi and Mikoto shared a knowing look, followed by a mirthful smile.

The music finished, and the young girls dispersed, exiting from the square into the congregations of people at the sides as the bon-odori dancers returned. Naruto scoured the crowds for them, before waving energetically and barrelling over-_ an ungraceful gesture in comparison to her beautiful dancing earlier,_ Sasuke thought.

"That was really fun!" she panted, a wide grin on her face as she bent over somewhat and held her thighs, struggling to catch her breath. Her blue eyes dazzled with something that Sasuke had never seen in them before, a twinkling bright feeling that made him feeling as though there were butterflies in his stomach, fluttering around at will. In her eyes, he could see a strong feeling of belonging.

Sasuke opened his mouth to say something, however he paused in his breath and stopped. His older brother looked down at him, shaking his head somewhat and emitting a small chuckle of light amusement.

"You looked amazing, Naruto. You're a fabulous dancer, and you look very beautiful," Mikoto smiled, her black hair framing her face as she smiled and ruffled Naruto's lengthy hair. "Itachi thinks so too. Sasuke especially!"

Itachi nodded in confirmation, and Sasuke remained silent, looking to the side and muttering a small "Hn." The young Uzumaki felt the pit of her stomach tingle and she blushed, grinning widely. Even though he hadn't said anything, to Naruto, the fact he didn't object meant the world to her.

The lamps flickered delicately, the flames inside burning on fuel that would soon run out. For one night, Konoha was illuminated in small flame. Children, awake past their bedtimes, ran amok with parents in tow, and young men and women alike donned in traditional dress. It was a sweet, familial feel.

The night drew on.

* * *

"Good morning, Team 7!"

"Its 2. You were meant to be here at 11," the boisterous blonde bit out, a kind response to his hearty greeting. She looked him up and down; he had a headband slung over one eye, spiky grey hair, and the typical jounin attire. He also had a mask on half of his face. In fact, he held Jiraiya's book in one hand- a book about love and really violent love-making. She shook her head in dismay at his blatant rudeness.

"Yeah, where the hell where you?!" the pink one screeched. Naruto resisted the strong urge to cover her ears. Goddammit, that girl is loud. _And high pitched. No wonder Sasuke sounded so irritated in his letters... _Said boy looked nonchalant as he usually did, and said nothing, but did give the jounin a stern look.

The man tutted, clamping his book shut and slipping it into his pocket. "Well, Naruto, you're certainly easily annoyed. Now- we won't be able to go anywhere near any C-rank missions until you're at least a genin." He looked her up and down. "I've been assigned to give you the equivalent of a test. I have your headband here."

He drew a small piece of paper out of his pocket, glancing at it briefly. "The test is... the bunshin technique!" He smiled at her (or so she assumed, from the look in his eyes).

Naruto tilted her head, her hair following suit. "Any bunshins?"

"Well, no. They have to be of me. Exactly." The mysterious jounin glanced at the paper again. "And, they have to be good."

"So they can be any kind of clone, as long as they're you?"

He looked upwards, as though deep in thought, before looking down and nodding. "Any kind. Though I suppose you wouldn't know any other than the standard academy clones."

The Uzumaki smiled, and stood up straight, closing her eyes and summoning her chakra to the tips of her fingers. She drew her hands together, putting them in the standard bunshin hand-signs. As Team 7 waited in anticipation of her clones, the blonde smirked, and moved her left two fingers horizontal to her other fingers. The rest of her team tilted their heads, wondering what in the world she was doing.

_That's not the regular bunshin technique..._

"Kage Bunshin no Jutsu!"

_...thats a forbidden technique that takes up far too much chakra for it to even be an option for someone who isn't even a genin yet!_

Sasuke stepped back in slight shock as the entire training ground became filled with Naruto's, all with their hands in that position, and all laughing. _I've never seen so much blonde in my entire life,_ he thought in disbelief, looking around. He felt a twinge of shock and envy, however revelled in the fact that they were still illusions and nothing more... not of very much use in a battle.

"Well done Naruto," the man nodded, looking around at the field full of young, pubescent girls. He turned to the others, and smiled. "The most impressive thing about this jutsu, Sasuke and Sakura, is that these are tangible clones. In other words, these can withstand significant damage before disappearing. However, they require a very large amount of chakra to create."

_Ahh, so that's her name? Sakura. That explains her fluorescent pink hair slightly..._

She dispelled her clones, and the training grounds became misty with smoke for a moment or two, before it dissipated, leaving only Team 7 standing. Naruto felt a harsh, biting stare from Sasuke in the back of her head, and it left her feeling wary and... upset?

"Welcome to Team 7. I'm Hatake Kakashi, your jounin instructor." The scarecrow smiled at her, before turning to the entire team. "We have a C rank in three days. Considering you've never been on a mission before, Naruto, this will be difficult, but I've already arranged it. You three had best train for the next two days. I'll see you at 8 in the morning in the Hokage's office. Seeing as none of you have trained on chakra control, I've asked Jiraiya to come and help you all with walking on water."

Even Sasuke showed quite a bit of confusion at this prospect. "What? Walking on water? How are we supposed to do that? And where are you going?"

Kakashi smirked underneath his mask, before waving them a brisk goodbye and disappearing in a quick swirl of leaves.

Awkwardly, she looked around at her team and examined their expressions, giving them a lop-sided, nervous smile. Sasuke looked sufficiently angry at her, and she could feel an aura of menace around him. His eyes were cold, and Naruto felt her heart sink like lead to the bottom of her stomach. She looked down, her feet shuffling awkwardly as she felt angry at him for being angry at her- which was probably stupid, however she couldn't help it. Why did he have to be mad at her?

Naruto heard familiar, wooden footsteps, that clacked in a strong, even manner that she was so very used to. She turned, face-to-face with her eccentric, somewhat old mentor.

"I am the mighty Jiraiya!" His voice boomed throughout the training ground, making small dainty birds flee from their branches and swoop down to hide amongst the overgrown bushes. Her two teammates stepped back in what was mistaken fear to Naruto. She shot him a laughing look.

He snapped at her. "Show respect for one of the Sannin, the three that fought in the Great Shinobi Wars!"

Naruto snorted. "The only reason you even like Tsunade is because of her humongous boobs!"

The sage fell into a trance thinking about the bouncing, perfectly spherical breasts that jiggled like water balloons as she slammed her fist into his- _Ouch!_ Jiraiya visibly winced and shook himself out of his trance. "You have no respect for me, brat! Hmph. Well, come with me. We're going to train."

The grass adjacent to the small river tribute became soaked with water, as the blonde once again ungracefully fell into the water, the water splashing around her and soaking the riverbank and, to their annoyance, everybody else.

"God, you're such an idiot! This is too easy." Her pink haired teammate stood proudly, with arrogance apparent as she fed chakra evenly into her feet. Naruto shot her a glare; the girl had obviously been blessed with good chakra control, whereas Uzumaki Naruto was far from saying the same.

"Who cares about chakra control anyway? Its not like I'm gonna be a medic ninja," Naruto snorted half-heartedly. No, she definitely had no intention of becoming a medic ninja, but it certainly was disheartening to be terrifically awful at this anyway. She would probably need to walk on water in the future, too, seeing as she was a ninja. As much as Naruto wanted to sound like she didn't care, she really did, and she was really bloody annoyed about the fact that she was so bad at this altogether.

Sasuke, too, was being a really big asshole about it all. He wasn't the best, certainly not as good as Sakura, however he was a fair degree better than her and he wasn't one to ignore that. "Hmph. Maybe if you weren't such a dead last you might get this."

_Ouch. That one bit._ "Don't be such a bastard! You're not great at this either!" As much as Naurto tried to retaliate with a biting, harsh comment that would help her retain her dignity, she wasn't actually particularly good at really hurting peoples feelings, unlike Sasuke. Why he was so mad at her, she didn't understand anyway. All she did was learn a technique, and they had promised to learn techniques while they were gone, anyway...

"Let me explain this, brats."

Uzumaki Naruto lost her concentration completely at the interruption of Jiraiya's loud, booming voice and fell over into the stream, scaring various fish into a scurried exit. Sakura chuckled behind her hand, muffling her snide laughter as the blonde brushed herself off and squeezed water out her hair.

"Sakura has excellent chakra control due to her high intellect. She got very high marks at the academy." She blushed, flattered by the praise. "However, she also has a considerably lower amount of chakra than you two, which helps. For instance, her limit for a kage bunshin might be only one, or two if she was lucky." Her gaze was redirected towards the floor, as she felt embarassment surge through her and her cheeks flood red. _I hope Sasuke-kun doesn't look down on me for that..._

"Sasuke has relatively high intelligence, though not as high as Sakura's. You have quite a bit more chakra than her, allowing you to perform some astonishing techniques for your age, I hear. You might be able to perform... five or six kage bunshins, perhaps. And the more chakra, the harder controlling it is." Sasuke remained nonchalant throughout, showing no sign of emotion though Naruto had her sneaking suspicions he was still annoyed at her, however somewhat proud of being better than Sakura.

"Naruto has extremely, extremely high amounts of chakra, however I'm aware she listened very little in the academy. Because you have very large amounts of chakra, and very little theory, you're fairly abysmal at this." As he spoke directly at her, she folded her arms and turned away. "And in comparison to you too... well, she can perform hundreds and hundreds of kage bunshins, but that is an advantage and a disadvantage in itself."

Jiraiya stepped onto the water tentatively. "Too much chakra will make the water repel you, causing you to lose your balance and fall in. Too little chakra, and well, you'll just fall in anyway. You need to feed in the right amount. For those without high chakra control, it will take a good deal of practice to get it right."

The sage continued with his lengthy explanation of chakra control, whereas the blonde kunoichis attention was diverted. She recalled Jiraiya's mentioning of that Sasuke knew some very difficult techniques. If so, why was he even mad at her? He was jealous of her technique, sure, however if he knew some difficult ones, why was he being an ass? _He is such a hypocrite!_

"Boo!"

The Uchiha toppled face first into the stream, black hair sticking to his face in disarray. He was visibly angry- shaking, even- on the other hand, though, Naruto could not contain her hysterical laughter at his form, even as he came after with vengeance in mind.

"You two! Stop! You should listen to Jiraiya-sama!"

It was strange though, because although she wanted to be mad at him because he was mad at her, even though she wanted to be angry and punch him or something like that, it was kind of difficult to. In the end, she didn't really mean it, when she insulted him. And even though his insults really stung, she got the feeling he didn't mean it either.

Though there was perhaps one difference. It was really odd because when she spoke to him, she yelled at him and insulted him sometimes, then other times she got along with him, and those were the times she realised that they were really good friends. They were; she couldn't lie about that. Yet, she got this really tingling feeling sometimes when she spoke to him. She also got really hot, those times, too. Like, her face would get really warm.

It was stupid, though, because Naruto didn't like him like that, because he's an asshole. A friend, but a really big asshole who constantly belittled her. In a friendly way, but he still did.

She felt really silly all of a sudden, and yet she felt really happy. Here, in a warm stream in her home-town, with her friends and her teacher or make-shift parent. Naruto had often felt good, happy or relaxed. Some of those times she had been slightly tipsy on sake that she had been offered from Tsunade. The point was though, was that she had been happy and content before.

Funnily enough, however, this was the first time she'd ever felt at home.

* * *

Naruto creaked the door open to her apartment wearily.

She lashed her jacket and water-bottle on the couch, rubbing her head. It had been such a long day of training.

Everything was so sore. Her joints felt like they were going to fall apart, and that was really abnormal for her. She had never really suffered from fatigue or getting tired easily. It wasn't normal for her, even if she had trained continuously all day. Her chakra reserves were, quote Jiraiya, rather large; it was abnormal for her to feel this lethargic after training this simple. Back when her and Jiraiya had trained, using kage bunshins to allow her to train her skills with maximum profit, she had gotten kind of tired and had gone to bed. This was a really different feeling- the kind of tired where she felt too tired to drag herself to her bedroom door.

_This is so weird..._ Naruto's eyesight began to fail her. The girl persistently rubbed her eyes, trying clear her eyesight. She could not; looking up, she could see that everything was blurred- edges were unclear, and she couldn't any detail anymore.

Naruto span around, and paced towards the kitchen and towards the sink, filling up a small glass with tap water and drinking it quickly. All of a sudden, her stomach protested, turning itself up and over. The blonde pulled her hair back as she vomited violently, her throat burning from the contractions. _Why do I feel so ill? This is all Sasuke's fault, I bet..._

All of a sudden, it became very clear indeed that she had hardly vomited up any of her lunch; a good majority of what was lying in the kitchen sink was red. It was mixed with her stomach acid, a sickly pink. The blonde clenched her stomach, feeling herself rearing to vomit again.

She stood over the kitchen sink, and yet she couldn't. Her legs gave in, collapsing completely. The blonde had little to no energy at all, and she tried to pull herself up with one arm with the little energy she could muster, and yet, nothing came of it. Her arm faltered, and she fell onto her side.

Naruto lay there, staring up at her freshly painted ceiling. She gagged again, blood pouring out of her mouth and surrounding her. She felt it seep into her hair like into paper, staining her golden hair red. _Am I going to die here?_ She pondered quietly, staring at herself in the reflection of her oven. It was so strange, seeing herself lying in blood, unable to move. It was very rare Naruto ever found herself incapable of taking care of herself. She very rarely got ill at all, in fact.

_Nobody will find me here until tomorrow. I'm going to die here_, she realised painfully.

Her eyesight detioriated even more so, and her reflection became nothing more than two fuzzy blue clumps of colour staring back at her. She felt herself spasm violently, and blood seeped out of her mouth again, spilling all around her. Even as she felt herself become damp with blood, Naruto felt as though she were out-of-body- distant from the experience completely.

"Got what you deserved, bitch."

As she spied a face- though fuzzy and near unidentifiable – she coughed again. Her chest was racking, and now not only was she vomiting red, as her lungs hacked up what she thought was phlegm, she could taste blood in her mouth. _Thats it, I'm going to die, right? Here. Damn..._

Naruto lifted her hand with all the strength she had in her, scooping up a drop of blood with her finger. With all her might, she pushed her arm forward, and began writing on the oven. She drew her hand back, putting her finger in the blood once more and pushing it onto the oven, spelling out letters in her own crimson bodily fluid.

_Fuck... I can't..._

Her arm fell. There was no more energy. Naruto had nothing more to give, nothing more to use. No more drops of strength to summon. She was dying.

_Goddammit, you asshole..._

Her blue eyes became hazy with thoughts. _Find me... stupid asshole..._

The dying blonde took a last look at the oven. In scraggly, uneven katakana, affected by her near-death state and illiterate nature aside from that, was en-scribed in dripping blood,

'**Mizu**'.

* * *

The youngest Uchiha could hear his mother fiddling with various plates and cutlery in the kitchen as he went in quietly and opened the fridge.

"So, Sasuke, how was training today?"

Sasuke shrugged, pulling out the orange juice and settling it on the side before closing the fridge door. He rummaged in the cupboard for a glass, putting it down gently on the table. "It was okay, I guess."

Mikoto frowned, as she placed the dishes in the sink and turned on the tap. "Don't be so vague! What training did you do?" She turned the water on its hottest setting.

Sasuke murmured, "We learned how to walk on water. Naruto was especially bad at it, but my other teammate was really good at it." He looked down. "I was particularly cold to Naruto today."

His mum chuckled slightly. "Well, do me a favour and go say sorry, will you? I need you to give back her yukata anyway. She didn't realise she was meant to keep it."

He lifted the glass of orange juice to his lips, drinking it slowly and looking upwards as he did. _I guess I was a bit of an asshole to her today_. Then, he shook his head. _I was a complete asshole to her today. I have to apologise._ Sasuke sighed, settling down his glass. "I'll go get the yukata off the radiator. Her apartment is in the upper apartment complex isn't it?"

Mikoto nodded, a wide smile on her face. "I'll see you Sasuke! Be back later, will you?"

"Mm." Sasuke waved, picking up and folding Naruto's red yukata in his arms. It was warm from the radiator, and he could feel the gentle creases in it, and the embroidered floral patterns. It brought back pleasant memories of the festival, and Sasuke faintly smiled. "Bye, Mother!"

The door closed eerily, and Mikoto felt very cold all of a sudden.

He knocked on the door.

There was no response. He listened carefully, listening for any shuffling noises that would indicate footsteps, or any breathing that would indicate presence at all. There was nothing, and Sasuke felt a deep unsettling feeling in the pit of his stomach. Had Naruto gone out? Was she still mad at him?

He knocked again, more harsh as he smacked his knuckles on her hardwood door. There was nothing. He shuffled aside to look through the window. He couldn't see anything- then again, he couldn't see much aside from the hall anyway. The Uchiha began to feel somewhat worried. As far as he knew, she'd gone straight home, and she hadn't been particularly energized after her day of training. If he didn't know any better, Sasuke would say that she'd gotten pretty tired out towards the end...

Something was very wrong. Feeling like a fool for not doing so earlier, he tried to the handle. The door opened with ease. That was an even worse sign, and Sasuke felt his heart sink. He can't imagine her just leaving her door unlocked. She was a trained kunoichi, it was nothing like her to just leave things open like that.

Everything looked so normal. The walls were the same colour they were when Sasuke and Itachi slaved over them, and everything was relatively neat. The only difference was that Naruto's jacket and water bottle were slung on the couch. _She must be in_, Sasuke realised. _I've knocked so loud... is she a really heavy sleeper, or...?_

He opened the bedroom door. Aside from the pictures plastered in photo frames on the wall, it was completely vacant. It was relatively untouched, the bed had been made in a half-hearted effort. _She hasn't been to bed... and she hasn't left. So... where?_

Sasuke pushed open the bathroom door. There was no sign of Naruto at all, or even that she'd been in there. _That means there is only the kitchen... she has to be in there._ He shut the door behind him, and his heart sped up as he walked towards the kitchen. Something felt wrong, very very wrong. If she was in there, there was no chance she was going to be well. Why would she have not answered the door?

He pushed open the kitchen door, and was met with a thick, heavy stench of metal. Sasuke's eyes widened at it, and he automatically drew his hands to his nose in an effort to stifle the horrid smell. The Uchiha stepped in warily, and his breath caught in his throat.

The angel that he had saw a couple of years ago lay on the floor. Her golden hair was now dyed red with blood that matted it to her head, and blood surrounded her like the water had on the coastal shelf. He walked over, and he felt so distant and so terrified as he picked her up from the pool of blood and propped her on his lap. He realised how horrifically pale she had become, as her skin tone near matched Sasuke's himself.

Blood trailed from her mouth in small droplets of red, and he brought himself to pick up a limp arm and clutch her hand. Her fingers were cold against the warmth of Sasuke's palms. It was all really strange again, because something really hurt.

And try as he might to ignore the pain, it was anything but a bleeding wound. No stitches would heal it, no plasters would cover it and stop the blood flow, because there was no physical injury. There was a dull, aching pain in his chest, and it was so odd, because it hurt so much and yet Sasuke couldn't even pinpoint its cause.

It was strange too, because his eyes were burning, like they were on fire or something. They were really hurting, and they were beginning to prickle, and abruptly he just couldn't see at all.

_They're tears_, he realised painfully. They ran down- warm, salty tears, afresh with the pain that had been pounding in his heart like a taiko drum. The tears fell, and Sasuke didn't like that feeling at all. He hated crying. He tried his hardest never to cry, never to let loose any tears over anything. Somehow, though, he couldn't control these, these ones that spilled from his eyes and onto the angel below.

A tear fell onto her eyelid, and another one fell onto her nose as he wept. It was silent in the apartment, there was no noise whatsoever. His tears were inaudible, soundless in their descent, and yet how could something so silent and small be so utterly painful? Sasuke didn't like death at all. He still missed his father, as strict as he had been. _This girl is such an idiot, I don't even know why I bother. She's so obnoxious sometimes. _Tears fell again. _She pushed me over in the stream, too. She's so childish. All those letters were really long too._ There was another sharp twinge of pain in his chest. _Yet I would sit there for hours and write back, and I spent hours painting this apartment as a surprise. And I like her, I really really like her, and I don't want her to leave me like this._

He felt a wheezing, racking cough. "I knew you would be the one... who found me here." Her hazy, glistening blue eyes looked up at him. "What... are you crying? Pfft... who would have thought?"

Sasuke's tears fell faster, and Naruto looked back up at him. Her eyes were crystal clear, and so very blue, like stained glass. They gazed up at him, and he said nothing, but instead clutched the girl tightly to his chest. Though the blood from her head and the edge of her mouth stained his shirt, he did not relinquish his grip, and they were silent.

* * *

**A/N: Goddammit this got really dramatic and stressful, but don't worry this next one won't be as scary and stuff. It will be focused on recovery, explanation, and fluff, and then we ****will probably head off to Wave Country arc. **

** I hope you enjoyed this chapter. It was really long and I considered splitting it into two (that'd probably get me more views anyway...) but I had intended for this all to be together, and together it shall stay. I apologise for the length of it. **

** Reviews are very welcome, try to give as much constructive criticism as possible. Thanks for reading! By the way, the reviews last time were lovely. Thank you so much! xxx**


	4. Chapter 4

**Authors Note: Hello! This is a new chapter for the reupload. I'm writing the next one as we speak. Its mainly a 'thinking back' chapter. No MAJOR progression of plot here, though. But later some details here will be very important. Have fun reading! **

**I put a disclaimer at the beginning but I'll put another one just in case. **

**Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto, or any of its characters, locations, or concepts. Naruto and all its trademarks belong to Masashi Kishimoto and this is a non-profit story. This disclaimer applies to the ENTIRE story. **

* * *

The stench of the hospital was a familiar one.

The thick scent of antiseptic spray and soap, and medicine somewhat, wrestled Sasuke's nostrils as he sat on an uncomfortable steel chair and waited impatiently. Which was distinctly odd for him, because for as long as he could remember, he had been relatively patient in everything he did.

His discomfort and unsettling worry was most likely evident, because he felt a firm hand settle on his shoulder and push him back into his seat, from his bent over position. He looked to his left to see his brother clambering into the rigid seat next to him. Itachi offered a small smile, and closed his eyes and leaned back in his seat. "This is near Father's room, isn't it?"

Sasuke ground his teeth together, the enamel wearing as he felt his throat clench at the thought of his Father's room. He directed his gaze downwards, staring at the carefully polished blue floor, and nodded submissively. Remembering the putrid smell he had come across in that room, he resisted an instinctive urge to cover his nose.

"I'm sure Naruto-san will be okay. She hasn't ever not been." Sasuke was sure that Itachi was trying his very best to make his voice reassuring and confident, yet he was sure that he was just as worried, and had little to no clue of what would become of her well-being. "I can't help but wonder, though... This was no illness. I wonder..."

Sasuke drew his gaze up from the floor, and made direct eye contact with Itachi, in a startling motion. "...who did it?" The statement hung in the air for a few moments, and his brother nodded in agreement. A phrase clawed its way out of Sasuke's throat before he could stop it.

"I... I saw something..."

His older brothers expression became even more serious. "What was it, Otouto?" His obsidian eyes bored into Sasuke's. "You have to tell me." His gaze was piercing, and Sasuke suddenly regretted saying anything at all.

"Written in her own blood, on the oven... it said, 'Mizu,'" Sasuke explained, feeling a block of lead settle in the bottom of his stomach. Thinking about it, what did that even mean? A person? A method? A clue?

Itachi looked at the wall opposite, and brought up a hand to his face, and shook his head, strands of jet black hair hanging over his face. "Is that a name? Or does she just mean water? Water...?"

Sasuke felt his palms become sweaty; he felt so very confused. There was so many implications of that one statement, and yet, when he had found her, she had been so drained. She had been getting yet colder, and she looked so drained, and so forlorn, as though fate had tied her down with weights that she could pull no longer. He wondered if there was more she had wished to write on that oven...

Before his thoughts could wander further, a nurse stepped out of Naruto's room, and she gazed at the two Uchihas with an unreadable expression. She exhaled deeply, shaking her head. "The child is in there. Since I hear she has no known relatives, I suppose you two can go in. But keep it down, and don't tell the other nurses I let you in." She pulled the clipboard to her chest and walked away, her footsteps echoing in the near silent hall. Sasuke heard the creaking wheels of hospital trolleys.

"Come on Sasuke, lets go in."

The room too, was filled with the stinging smell of antiseptic, and within it lay Naruto, streaming long hair sprawled out in a spider-web like network across her pillow. She was gaunt, ill-looking; her eyes were sunken, and she looked so very unwell.

The bed almost enveloped her bony self in Sasuke's eyes; her body was thin and tiny in comparison to the fluffed up duvets and propped up pillows. In spite of her weary, unwell state, and the IV drip inserted in her wrist, she gave a cheery wave that was filled with strained energy. Naruto smiled, something that warmed the room wonderfully and made Itachi and Sasuke feel suddenly at ease.

"That nurse was nice, letting you guys in," Naruto said, her voice cracking as she did so. She was quiet, for once, and though her mood was enlightening and warm, the two Uchiha's couldn't help but feel naturally worried for the young girl.

"Naruto," Itachi said carefully, "perhaps it would be better for you to get some more sleep..."

She shook her head fiercely, her gaze drawn to the ceiling as she was suddenly drawn into thought. "No thanks." She brought a bony arm to her face, drawing long hairs out of her eyes as she stared upwards, looking at something that was not there. "I'm tired. And hungry. The hospital food here tastes like shit."

"I imagine."

All this while, Sasuke had been remaining silent, lips pursed. He was a quiet child, tight with his emotions and careful with what he said. Though now he sat in front of Naruto, the girl he had shed fat, bitter tears over, he wondered whether he truly cared about this reputation. Stuck between these two choices, he buttoned his lips and remained silent, turbulent emotions racking his head.

"So uh, are you going to go get me some Ichiraku, or what?"

Itachi scoffed, looking at the bold young girl. Even in her dreary, unhealthy state, he could feel a sense of cockiness and expectancy emanating from her. He shook his head slightly, chuckling almost inaudibly. "I will be back in half an hour. Stay here, Sasuke."

He nodded, and Itachi exited, closing the door behind him with a resounding "click".

The aura in the room was thick, and as cocky as she had been mere seconds ago, as Sasuke looked at her, she looked away quickly, a tiny blush hinting at her cheeks. "So uh... why did you find me anyway?" Naruto twirled her hair in between her bony fingers. "I was sure I'd die, since no-one would notice I was missing."

"My mum wanted to give you your yukata back. She said you were to keep it," Sasuke replied quietly. His fists tightened. His ego prodded at him, as he tried to choke out an apology for being a total dick that day. In the end, he closed his mouth and gave up.

Naruto had been looking at him, but as he finished his sentence, she sunk into her pillow somewhat, with an unreadable expression on her face. "Ah, is that so..." She turned her gaze to the ceiling. "Do they know what it was that happened to me?"

The youngest Uchiha shook his head. "Not that I know of, anyway." He mulled over the series of events in his head. "What happened to you, if you remember?"

"Hmmm..." Naruto began thinking, and her little blonde eyebrows knitted into a tough expression of thought as she tried to remember what had happened. Sasuke stifled a small chuckle at her hard-wearing, serious look. "I think I came in, put down my stuff, and began to feel really ill. So I ran to the sink, and got a glass of water. I threw it back up, along with a tonne of blood, and then I fell to the ground and couldn't get up. I saw... I saw..." She shook her head, trying to recall who it was she had seen above her, snarling in rage. "It was..."

_Who the hell was it?_ 'Got what you deserved, bitch.'

"...it was Mizuki!" she cried out, standing up abruptly on legs that looked like they might collapse any second. Abruptly, her IV drip was ripped out of her wrist, and she fell to her knees, wincing and clutching at her wrist.

Mizuki? The teacher, at the academy?! Sasuke thought in sheer disbelief, as he ran over to lift her up. He pressed the button to call the nurse, and a slender brunette nurse came in, muttering obscenities (partially directed at Naruto, it seemed?) and pulled Naruto up roughly by her shoulders.

"Get out! Who let you in here?"

The ebony-haired boy turned towards the blonde, who was clutching her wrist as a trail of shining red liquid dripped from it onto the floor. The nurse gripped her in a silent rage, almost dragging her over to the bed and muttering angrily under her breath as she grabbed the IV and began to disinfect it.

Sasuke couldn't tear his eyes away; not out of fascination of any visual kind, but his mind was fixated on those words she had just spoken. Mizuki? Perhaps she was just dizzy or ill? It couldn't be possible. But she had written that on the oven, as she had lain there in a bloody mess, cold and dying, and surely, writing something in that state- well, if she had prioritised something like that over saying goodbye to loved ones, then it obviously had importance. _How can I believe that one of the teachers at the academy tried to kill her? What sort of grudge do people even hold against her?_

Thinking of that, Sasuke recalled even just seconds earlier, where the slender brunette nurse had grabbed her with spiderlike fingers and roughly dragged her over to the bed, even though she was meant to be perhaps one of the most ill patients in the hospital, on the edge of death with an undiagnosed cause. _Why?_

The nurse turned to him, Naruto's spindly wrist in one hand and a blood-stained IV in the other. "Listen," she muttered, gritting her teeth as she tried to push out an almost vile smile. "Uchiha or not, you are not permitted to be here. Leave."

Sasuke looked at Naruto, her long blonde hair collecting dust from its surroundings. She looked terribly weak; her arms were so thin, and her legs looked as though they would collapse underneath her at any moment. But Sasuke looked into her eyes, so much brighter- and still so strong, despite what she lacked in physical strength at the moment. She nodded, whiskers of blonde hair tickling the side of her face as she brought up a smile that could shame the skies. She said nothing, hand still tightly clutching her wrist, but a slight tilt of the head told Sasuke that he could go.

Somehow, he knew she was still expecting the ramen.

* * *

Itachi, himself, had been somewhat bothered by the fact that Naruto's room had been eerily close to his fathers room.

"Is this for young Naruto?" the elderly man in Ichiraku asked, smiling. "I've heard she's somewhat unwell..." The man looked troubled by the thought, and his young daughter Ayame nodded at him. "This is on the house," he added.

The young, pretty girl also added, "We'll add extra beef."

"Thank you. I'm sure she will appreciate it."

The room number of their father was 40- a bad omen at the very least, but Itachi had been out on a mission that day- despite the undeniably importance of that day in his life (an unpleasant importance, at that), Itachi hadn't the slightest clue what the mission had been about. It had been insignificant, in comparison with the events that had followed its completion.

* * *

**That Night**

The town was unusually quiet that evening, the red sun setting over the Uchiha district and casting beautiful crimson highlights across the rooftops. The cobblestone ground beneath his feet glistened with red light, and his feet crunched on the tiny dry leaves that littered the ground. He normally heard... something. People chattering inside of the district. And occasionally, Shisui waited for Itachi by the entrance to the Uchiha district, cross-legged and deep in the pages of a novel.

Tonight, there was nothing, and all that Itachi could hear was the whispering-like noise that the trees made when their branches rustled against one another. The whole situation was uncanny, but Itachi continued, ANBU uniform still on and weasel mask still clipped to his side. His combat boots clacked against the ground, and he heard the gritty scraping of tiny rocks under his heel as he walked.

It was a somewhat crisp evening, that despite the warming rays of crimson heat – did not fail to be sharp and slightly dry. In the mix of weather conditions, the breeze became somewhat warm as Itachi tread quietly towards the Uchiha district. It was too quiet for comfort, and Itachi almost instinctively held his sheathed katana, lightly clasping the handle with this right hand as he walked precariously. _I must be over-thinking this. Perhaps its later than I thought._

In what seemed like a mild lifetime, Itachi reached the doors to the complex, pushing them open carefully. The mahogany felt cold and uncanny against his fingers, and the air felt unsure itself, as though it was unsure whether to sift through the complex quietly or become an uproar of turbulent wind. The dark haired elder Uchiha was just as unsure of what to do. He saw no one.

The lights were on in the homes around him, so Itachi stepped through the garden gate of a somewhat distant relative and rapped on the door quietly. He heard light shuffling, and quiet, deep mumbling- and then, nothing. The house was quiet, and the door was left unanswered.

_It's almost like they're scared of something._

Itachi exited the garden briskly and felt the urgent need to head to his home, his quick walk turning into a hurried jog as he passed the still, quiet and anticipating homes of the Uchiha district. He felt almost as though he was trapped in a time loop, as though he was turning the same corners and looking at the same houses as he headed back to his home. There had been nothing to indicate foul play in the quiet, homely complex of the Uchiha's. There had been no upset, nothing.

It had simply been the lack of camaraderie in the air. The lack of welcoming, even for himself- a renowned Uchiha, well-known for his high status in the ANBU at such a young age. Itachi was a prodigy, and treated as such. Yet there had been silence, there had been nothing. Even Shisui was not there; and where was Sasuke?

There was nothing, no-one in the streets. No foul play. No injuries, no screams, nothing. The lack of anything was alarming Itachi; and the long, crimson shadows that the evening sun had cast made it seem like the entire complex was stained in blood.

After what seemed like a life time treading through the Uchiha complex and turning corners and passing houses that looked identical, Itachi reached his particular home. It was large to say the least, and was oriental- unlike some of the apartment complexes in Konoha. As Itachi walked up the garden path, the feeling that reverberated throughout him was unsettling. He could feel the eyes of the entire neighbourhoods' inhabitants boring through him, and yet he could hear nothing.

As he slid the door open and stepped inside, the varnished hallway was empty. Itachi stepped into it, the laminate floor beneath his feet somewhat slippery as he precariously walked throughout the house. First, he checked the kitchen; nothing, as far as he could see. The table was clear; Mikoto had obviously just cleaned it. There were flowers freshly set in the centre, cut white roses in a small glass vase. There were dishes in the sink, and some on the side, still glistening with soap; the stove was still warm.

He moved down the hall and walked into the living room. There was nothing; the couches looked as though they had been sat on recently, and the room was normal. It seemed calm and homely, but Itachi couldn't help but feel wary.

The dark-haired ninja clasped his katana, pulling it slowly out of his sheath. The sliding of metal seemed to reverberate throughout the desolate hall, and all of a sudden Itachi heard a quiet muffled crying.

Itachi picked up his pace and headed for Sasuke's room. _Crap. Is he...?_ As he slid the door open – it shuddered as it moved – Itachi saw something shocking, but on the other hand, relieving; there lay Sasuke, hands bound behind his back, ankles bound, and gagged with a white piece of material. He was laying on his futon. The look in his eyes was one of sheer terror, followed by relief at seeing Itachi. He was shaking, and his sweat was making his clothes stick to him like a second skin.

Mikoto was bound in a similar fashion, but was tied haphazardly to a coat hook nailed into the wall that would normally hold Sasuke's jacket (that had been left to the floor). Itachi reached forward, filled with half relief and half shock, and untied his mother's gag, before untying Sasuke's.

The release of air that came out afterwards was heavy, heaving breaths of terror and upset, and there was a brief moment of heavy half-silence – there were no words, only strained breaths.

"Itachi," Sasuke burst out, as his elder brother fiddled with the ties around his hands. "There was- is- Father-"

"Stay still," Itachi warned, hooking a smaller kunai underneath Sasuke's wrist ties and slicing upwards, carefully avoiding Sasuke's flesh. He did the same with Mikoto quickly, and began to work on the ankles.

"Itachi, son," Mikoto heaved, shaking from fear. "There is... was... someone. Something... it bound us all, and... your father... I tried to help, but they put me in here and your father... he's... he's..." Mikoto seemed incredibly fearful. As far as it seemed, Itachi guessed that Mikoto hadn't seen anything directly, but judging by her dry heaving and shaky state, she feared the worst. "Please, Itachi... Go look. I can't... I can't."

Itachi nodded solemnly and unsheathed his katana, metal grinding as he walked out of the room, closing the sliding door behind him and walking towards his parents bedroom, prepared for the worst. He activated his Sharingan, tomoe spinning as he stepped through the calm hallways of the Uchiha residence. Itachi felt the need to put on his ANBU mask all of a sudden; and yet, the situation was too personal. He needed to see it and accept it- whatever it was.

However, it could be said that nothing would have prepared him for what lay behind that door.

As Itachi opened the door, nothing prepared him for the sickening thwack that occurred afterwards. Fugaku, his father, had been positioned laying on the door- as it slid open, he fell backwards, head falling against the floor and lolling like a doll. His empty, dead expression would haunt Itachi forever.

The smell of fried flesh was thick in the air, the sickening, disgusting stench permeating through Itachi's nostrils and making him feel ill. Blood soaked the floor, and it looked as though someone had set off a bloody catherine wheel; it stained the ceiling, walls and floor. Itachi stepped in precariously, and saw a human-like imprint of blood on the door, and the marks where Fugaku had slid down and fell in front of Itachi.

His father had been mutilated; not beyond recognition, however. In a sick and disgusting show of pride, Fugaku's face was untouched, leaving his expression to haunt his family and those who would dress him for his burial for decades. His torso was wrecked, slashes so deep and wide that looked like they had been done by a savage with a meat cleaver. His throat was cut, a shallow, torturous slice across his neck, but the killer had only nipped the carotid artery, leaving Fugaku to a merciless, cold and prolonged death.

Itachi took one look at the huge gashes on his fathers body, and felt incomparably sick. Stepping through pools of blood, Itachi ran to the window and threw up, tears mixing with bile as he sobbed. The sun had set.

* * *

**That was fairly stressful. I'll get the next chapter up soon. I have a nice plot planned out.**

**Winky face.**

**;)**


	5. Chapter 5

**Authors Note: Yeah story progression is slow. I'll try and keep updates regular; thanks for reading! Things will get more interesting, I promise. :( THE DISCLAIMER STILL APPLIES. :] This chapter is quite short but I wanted to get it out. :)**

* * *

Itachi was awoken by his brief midday nightmare by the hundreds of falling cold pinpricks on his skin. He looked up; thick grey clouds had covered the sky, and rain drops were falling, the rain that was full of thick drops of water that splashed and soaked you in seconds. Itachi had always found that sort of feeling relieving, though he was not a fan of when the rain halted, and your clothes would stick to you like a second skin and keep you soaked for hours longer than necessary.

"Itachi."

The elder Uchiha turned, only to be faced with a masked Jounin. "Kakashi."

The masked man looked up at the gloomy sky, half-slung headband shielding one eye from the rain. He looked back down briefly and his eyes were drawn to Itachi's right hand, which was holding a heavy, steaming bag that had dug into his fingers and left glaring red marks behind. "You'd best be getting to Naruto, before that gets cold." He paused. "I'll come, too."

Itachi nodded, glancing half-curiously, half-suspiciously, trying to read the illegible contours of Kakashi's face in vain. Kakashi returned the curious look, however instead filled it with humour, eyes half-smiling. "I have nothing questionable planned, Itachi. I'm her sensei. I'm just coming to see if she's alright."

Itachi had his doubts, but walked to the hospital side by side with the laid-back sensei anyway.

* * *

Naruto lay underneath stained white sheets, looking with half-lidded eyes up at the plain white ceiling. It was raining heavily on the windows, and she turned and watched- deep in the throes of thick sedation, administered by 'concerned' nurses -the raindrops weave in and out of one another and trickle past her line of sight. She turned back to the ceiling, her eyes looking, and yet not quite seeing as her hazy, non-sensical thoughts roamed throughout the winding pathways of her mind.

"I wonder," she slurred quietly to herself, "why Mizuki did that to me."

The room had no reply, however Naruto heard a rumbling roaring laugh. She screamed, sitting up and panicking, looking out of each window and looking at the door. She even checked for any speakers; terrified that someone was watching her, torturing her. As though he had seen her fear, the voice chuckled once more, a malicious tone to the rumbling laughter. The sound was almost noxious; she began to feel ill, the pit of her stomach turning and twisting like an animal in fitful sleep.

Naruto felt herself dragged from consciousness, and she crumpled to the floor.

* * *

Wherever Naruto was, it was very wet.

Her long and dreary hospital gown that normally trembled along the floor was now suspended somewhat in the ankle deep water that surrounded Naruto. Her hair, too, was in the water, trailing behind her as she walked precariously. She was barefoot, and the floor felt strange and ethereal beneath her feet.

She walked quietly, looking to the walls for some sign of décor. She found none; the walls looked metallic, glistening with a smooth shene, and pipes lined the ceiling above her. _Perhaps, this is a sewer?_

Naruto had the urge to somehow climb along the pipes on the ceiling to get out of the disgusting water that she submerged ankle-deep in. Realising the stark impossibility of that statement, the blonde shook her head and instead toiled up her hair, collecting it in a pile in her arms to keep it out of the dirty water as she began to walk.

Water pushed her feet backwards almost, as she tried to step forwards; there was almost a current from somewhere. _How can there be a current?_ She paused, suddenly realising that there actually was no explanation for her being here. _Why am I even here? Am I asleep?_ She remembered the heinous laughing, and began to almost feel sick again at the mere thought of the sinister tone that the chuckling had taken on, how it had made her feel ill with fear.

Naruto walked faster, pushing hard against the steadily increasing current.

After turning several similar-looking corners, she reached a dark room. The sewer water opened out, into a large square room. _I can't see anything,_ Naruto thought, cradling a small child of blonde hair in her left arm as she moved forward slowly, and all of a sudden fear filled her to the brim as she felt the unbridled, amused fury of a deity; of who's killer intent she could not even begin to describe.

** "AHAHAHAHAHA!"**

She trembled, knees collapsing beneath her and sent her tumbling into a kneeling position into the murky water below. Her shaking arms let go of her her hair, and it fell into the water below, as she stared up at a being who's presence made her feel as though her very life was at stake if she would dare look him in the eye.

A nine-tailed being, with blood red eyes gazing straight at her. Naruto desperately tried to run, but felt herself pulled to the ground- with fear, or just extreme gravity, she wasn't sure. _I can't move, I need to move! I have to get away!_

**"You,"** it roared, sharp white canines revealed in a sick grin. **"Look at you, grovelling beneath me! Pathetic human!"**

It occurred to Naruto that this being was behind thick, heavy iron bars, and a large piece of paper was placed between its opening point, reading 'Seal' in elegant kanji. _It's okay,_ she thought, her gasping for air interrupting her thoughts. _He can't do anything like that. I hope._

**"You are all the same, so pathetic, terrified by the mere sight of me! I am the strongest of all the tailed demons- I could crush you with a swing of one of my tails!" **

Naruto forced her shaky knees to stand upright, to stay still. She clenched her fists until her knuckles went white, and she brought her sharp blue eyes to level with the tailed demons, piercing blue unwavering as she stared at him. I_ am in control here. He's in captivity... I'm not. _She forced herself to stand upright.

"I am Uzumaki Naruto! You are not going to scare me." Her voice came out stronger, and fiercer than she had expected it to. "Why are you here? Tell me! Is this just a dream?" Her eyes did not flit around the room- she forced them to stare straight at the sick expression of the Nine-Tails.

**"Ahahaha!"** the Nine-Tails burst out into a fit of uncontrollable laughter, that almost made Naruto feel as though she should run and retreat that instant. _Why have I been so brave? He's right- he's huge, he could rip me apart in seconds. _She took a deep breath._ If those bars weren't there..._ **"You human, are what we Bijuu call a 'demon container.' Or, a Jinchuuriki,"** he chuckled, revealing his white teeth. The pointed edges almost made her feel incapacitated with fear. **"You are what keeps me sealed here, behind these thick iron bars! You are the bane of my existence," **he continued, **"and I so happen to be the bane of yours."**

Naruto felt paralysed with shock, almost. The pieces were there, dangling in her mind, each jigsaw piece, although somehow Naruto feared that putting them together would shake her entire life; and in turn make each firm structure in her head come crumbling down under unsteady foundations of confusion. "You mean this isn't my imagination?"

**"No, brat!"** the Nine-Tails roared, **"This is reality, and I will show you imbecilic human that I tell nothing but the truth to you!" **He moved in his tight cage, tapping his claws against the dream-like floor. **"Lift up your gown so I can see your stomach."**

Naruto reeled, blushing with embarassment. "I'm not wearing anything underneath..."

**"Just do it!" **he demanded. **"I have no interest in you humans, just do what I say!" **

Trembling under his will, Naruto lifted up her hospital clothing until her belly was visible. The demon nodded. **"Summon chakra. You will not be able to summon much because your hands are not free, but a little is enough."**

Naruto did so, feeling energy rush through her body. _Why am I even doing this? He could be lying. He might just be a pervert._

**"Look at your stomach, brat."**

She did, and Naruto nearly dropped her dress in shock; on her stomach, was a delicately painted seal, with a thick black line swirling around her belly button; tiny lines were painted around the outside of the swirl. _Its a seal... a seal. He must..._ She took a deep breath in. _He must be telling the truth._

"Okay," she began bravely, mustering all of her will, "Lets say I did believe you. Why would I care?"

The Nine-Tails, once again, roared with humorous laughter. **"Do you not see, brat?! All the torment, all of these years! All because of me, all because I am here! Because I was sealed inside of you, you were hated, given horrible living conditions, bad food, a life of pain and agony! I watched from inside here, seeing the life you have been given! I almost felt sorry for you, brat,"** the Nine-Tails muttered in distaste. **"It was not either of our faults, though."**

"Of course it was your fault!" Naruto retorted. "You attacked the village!"

The Nine-Tails snorted (could it be called a snort? A fox snort? Who knew?) in his cage. **"Be gone, brat. But remember," **he sneered. **"Should it be necessary... You can call on my chakra whenever you need to." **His smile widened into an almost crazed grin, as Naruto was whisked out of the dreary sub-reality of her mind.

* * *

"Ma'am, if you'll excuse me, I need to see my student."

The prissy woman shook her head, folding her arms and standing firmly. "You are not family, and you are not permitted to see this girl." She said the last word with such distaste that it was almost like the word itself had a disgusting taste. Her expression crumpled into one of hatred, and Kakashi felt hatred in turn writhe in the pit of his gut. He pushed it down, and instead gave her a kind, but ominous smile from beneath his mask.

"I'm afraid that isn't an option, Ma'am. I must see my student." Itachi too, stood behind him, looked threatening enough to make the woman whimper slightly. She reeled from the two, fear looking turbulent in her dull blue eyes.

"Um..." She shook her head. "Fine! Go in! But the manager will hear of this!" She scurried away quickly, nurses shoes silent against the heavily polished floors of the hospital. With her gone, the ward was quiet, and all that Kakashi could hear was the soft wheeling of hospital gurney. He couldn't help but wonder why she had been so reluctant to let them in, and so quick to retreat. The ninja sighed; he couldn't even recall her name, so he could report her for whatever she had done.

He turned to Itachi, single eye showing a display of disgust at the nurse, and Itachi too shook his head. His right hand held still warm food, and Kakashi pushed the door open slowly, only to find an empty bed with blankets that were ruffled and entwined, as though someone had slept fitfully and had left without taking second thought to the covers.

The strangest feature of the situation was the hair. A large cut of bright blonde hair, perhaps two foot long, was on the edge of the bed, and the end of it was clamped shut in a locked window. Itachi felt sick, looking at the sadistic act. Someone had clamped Narutos hair in a window, for what reason he was unsure; Naruto had found a sharp object- a scalpel, he presumed, from one of the drawers -and cut her hair off, and promptly escaped; out of upset or distress, he supposed. _The villagers are so sick, Minato_, Kakashi thought, deep in the throes of disgust and melancholy.

_So sick._

* * *

**Authors Note: Pretty weird that. Things will get more interesting, I swear. :3**


	6. Chapter 6

** A/N: A new chapter was in order, and there isn't much development but it is the introduction of a new plot. I really do appreciate reviews (I don't say this often because I'm not whoring myself for them!) but I do appreciate feedback. For instance, I think the plot is going too slow right now, so next chapter I will do my best to speed it up.** ** I have a long plot in order, but I will make my point that things are not as fairy-tale like in the future, and it becomes a good deal more interesting (I hope?). **

** Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto or any of its trademarks or characters. They belong to Masashi Kishimoto and I really don't want them anyway. Too much responsibility. **

**Things will become even stranger in the more recent chapters. I warn you, any romance in this story will not be easy, it will not be an easy going fluffy romance. It will be difficult and hard, but I will try my best to keep it interesting. Thanks!**

* * *

The nightgown felt soft against Naruto's skin, brushing against it gently and giving her goosebumps as she paced quickly through the sidestreets. Her hair felt awfully strange. Even when she was too lazy to have hauled it up into her arms or into a tight, upright hairstyle, it would drag across the floor and almost pull her back. Occasionally, it might get caught on some small nick in the road, or someone might stand on it. Of course, the occasions where she let her hair drag along the road like that were few and far between; it was far too much of a pain to pick the various pieces of debris out of it afterwards, and of course it would require a good wash. Annoying, for a ninja.

Yet, as Naruto walked through the achingly empty side streets of down town Konoha (were they avoiding her, or were they always this quiet?), she couldn't help but notice that her hair had grown at unreal rates anyway. For instance, as a young girl, and the Third Hokage being a haphazard replacement for an always-absent father, he had decided that hair that long would be unnecessary and unruly, and of course, had taken her to a reluctant hairdresser and demanded it to be cut (he had supervised the entire situation, watching out for any 'accidental' nips on her ear or so on). Naruto had had shoulder length blonde hair, spiky and unruly. It was different, but not bad; alas, within weeks, Naruto's hair grew to a length where it weighed itself down and pulled out any kinks or curls- and merely weeks after that, it would once again brush along the floor. It was unmanageable, however the long hair tendency was peculiar.

Not to mention, it wouldn't really grow at a particularly unreasonable rate once it was really long; Naruto had just decided that her hair was just like that, and there was nothing she could do about it.

In particular, though, Naruto had grown fond of it; and now, to have nothing dragging and no weight on the back of her head, it bugged her. She brought up a spindly hand to the edges of her hair, feeling its unruly cut and jagged sliced hairs. The thought made her feel uncomfortable.

Of course, the incident that had occurred just an hour before was more than 'uncomfortable'. Naruto had no understanding of it, and yet this desolate feeling had settled in the pit of her stomach; not quite defeat, instead, the feeling that she knew that this abuse would never go away and never relent. It made her feel sick, and she herself felt dizzy from hunger and illness. The nurse had pulled out her IV drip and slammed her hair shut in the window, the majority of it dangling outside- knowing that, as an orphan -and a friendless one, at that- no one would visit her and help her (likely, the brunette nurse had been hoping she would starve to death).

The most upsetting part was seeing the nurse that had clamped her hair into the window, treating another child with respect and care. _Why am I so different?_ Naruto thought, half tearfully and half bitterly. _I'm not any different from any other kids. I don't have parents... and I have a demon inside of me... but I'm still me! I'm sure of it! _She stumbled up the stairs to her apartment complex, and prayed that her apartment had been left untouched, at the very least.

It had not been. The window was cracked, not smashed, a spiderweb-like set of cracks wrecking the entirety of her window. Naruto looked down and closed her eyes tight, pushing back tears and almost trying to swallow the thick, solid lump in her throat. She pushed her rusty key into her faulty lock and entered her apartment, which had thankfully been left alone. Funnily enough, as she inspected the window from the inside (which she had not viewed properly from the outside), tiny specks of red had leaked through the cracks, only the bottom ones however. _Almost like,_ she thought, _someone has punched the window._

The blonde made her way to her bedroom, and pulled her legs to her chest, and looked at the empty picture frame at the side of her bed. There were many hung across the wall- a wall of memories, arranged by the Uchihas. She had been left an empty picture frame, and she had placed it on the bedside end table- hoping that she would be able to use it for a team picture. Tearfully, the young girl lifted a strand of jagged and cut hair, and felt tears well in her eyes. _I had really wanted to look good for that picture._

Her long hair had been a constant in the past few years, and without it, she felt bare and naked, and all of a sudden she felt so alone. She had the blood of a demon running under her skin, a nine-tailed fox dwelling in her stomach; thinking about it, it explained the constant life of abuse, the pain, the mistreatment. Without her hair, and knowing that she was the bane of the town, Naruto felt more bare and naked than she had ever felt before. Even in her own home, she felt as though she was alone.

She gazed at the empty picture frame for a long time before falling asleep.

* * *

The blonde awoke to a loud rapping on her door. "Naruto? Are you in?"

She turned over, mumbled quietly, and curled up, drawing her blankets to her chest and turning her head into her pillow, desperately hoping never to get out of bed. Her eyelids felt heavy and her muscles felt thick with sleep. Her chest too felt tired and tight, as though she was still in the throes of slumber. Naruto wished she was.

"Naruto? Naruto?"

_Just leave!_ She thought angrily, slamming her face into the soft material of her pillow, before yanking it from beneath her head and pushing it over it in an effort to block out the incessant rapping of someones knuckles against her door. She grunted, before pulling the bedsheets to her side and drawing her feet to the side of her bed, her feet warm against the cold varnished floor. She walked to the door and opened it angrily, hair strewn across her shoulders and most likely sticking up in a haywire fashion. "What do you want? I'm so tired! Can't you just go, and-"

Naruto wasn't normally that cranky anyway, it was just the mornings sending her into a sleepy rage. She felt so sick too... She winced. It was most likely because of the events with Mizuki; she had no clue what he had done, however she had no queries about who the fault of the whole incident belonged to. However as Naruto looked up, she felt a slight tinge of guilt.

At her door was Sasuke, alone. In his right hand was still warm, bagged ramen, and in his left was a well-wrapped package, also in a bag. The ebony-haired boy looked to the side, his eyes shifting about the doorway. "I... heard you were unwell. You didn't want to stay in the hospital, so... I thought I should come take care of you."

The jaggedy-haired blonde was taken aback, and took a moment to look the boy up and down. He was dressed normally, and the only different thing about his appearance were the two bags in each hand, and she blinked twice. "Yeah... yeah. Come in." If she hadn't been so tired, she might have protested, saying that she didn't need someone taking care of her, that she was fine. On the other hand, Naruto was tired, and she was sick, and she did need someone. So for once, she just agreed.

"Its just because I have to," Sasuke added quickly. "Knowing you, you'd probably get yourself poisoned again. Idiot." He couldn't help but notice her considerably shorter hair- and also the clear lack of professionalism about the cut. He decided to stay quiet, and yet he couldn't help sneaking glances at the spiky edges of her hair.

"Just shut up. Can't you be nice for once?" Despite Sasuke's biting comment that he had tagged on the end of quite a nice gesture, the girl had a small smile on her face, one that gave Sasuke the impression that she was content, which somehow, to Sasuke, seemed better than happy right now.

Naruto went into the cupboard to look for some plates, before realising that they needed washing. Taking the offwhite plates to the sink, she poured out a tiny bit of soap onto the dishes and grabbed a worn rag from the right of the sink. She felt Sasuke's gaze bore into her back. The silence was long, but it was comfortable, and filled with the rushing of water from Naruto's tap, and the squeaking of a worn rag across the smooth porcelain surface of the plates. After drying them quietly, Naruto moved over to sit down, before realising what she was currently donning.

"I should go get dressed, Sasuke..." Naruto began, realising she was wearing a loose, dreary hospital gown (and she was also not wearing anything underneath it; however, Sasuke didn't need to know that).

He shrugged, taking the ramen out of the bag carefully and pushing it towards Naruto. "I don't mind what you do. I'm just here because I have to be." He then sat back in his chair, looking to his side as though in disinterest- yet his eyes flitted around the room, as though he was curious like a child.

She snorted. _Can't you just say that you were doing a nice thing for once? I swear._ "I'll be back in five minutes." She walked down the short hallway and went into her room, closing the door with a quiet click behind her.

Sat there alone in Naruto's kitchen, Sasuke glanced down at the tightly wrapped parcel to his right. It wasn't as though the salty stench of ramen was making him hungry, but he knew that he had some tasty onigiri in there (Mikoto had prepared the rice balls for him, and had made extra for Naruto, adding that he should check if she was in good health). He quietly undid the soft, faintly off-white opal-like material, and took out a small onigiri from the box, eating it in silence. The rustling of trees outside of Naruto's balcony calmed him, as though he was amongst a quiet and distant crowd. He absent-mindedly ate the rice balls, staring at the soft green tones of the trees outside.

Naruto came back in, dressed in loose leggings that hung on her hips and a baggy vest top, both a soft and gentle shade of white. He looked up at her, and yet he couldn't tear his eyes away. _I've never even cared about girls before this! What does it matter if she's wearing that?_ He pulled his gaze to the food before him. He had not been mesmerised by her beauty, but she had simply looked so pure and alike to the night where he had dragged her out of those deep blue waters. She was wearing soft white slippers, and they were silent against her floor; he heard nothing as she moved, almost like she was gliding (Sasuke mentally snorted).

"You started eating without me?" she huffed, crossing her arms and pointing her nose indignantly in the air. Her stomach rumbled loudly, and she smiled sheepishly as Sasuke looked at her in a half-Sasuke, half-humorous manner. "Could I have some of them after this ramen, maybe?"

"Finish that first, idiot."

"You're meant to be taking care of me!"

"Hn."

* * *

A week later, Naruto had recovered. Her team had dropped in on various days, mainly Sasuke (sometimes with Itachi), even occasionally Sakura, and often Kakashi, checking on her condition. Kakashi had been keeping her updated with the Mizuki situation. He informed her that he had been arrested, and that the problem had been, in fact, that water she had drank that very day, at their training.

Dehydrated, her body had absorbed the water, and the poison had quickly got into her blood stream; it was no ordinary poison, Kakashi had stated, but he had refused to detail very much more. He simply stated that it was very difficult to get a hold of. Naruto understood the implications of that; this was very much planned, and he had intended entirely for it to be lethal. She felt miserable at the thought; another person, out to get her, in a world filled with people out to get her. She trusted Iruka almost entirely, but sometimes, late at night, she had her doubts. She tried her best not to think like that, though.

She had also come to 'enjoy' Sakura's company. More that, alone, not surrounded by Sasuke- who she desperately aspired to be acknowledged by -and Ino, who she simply could not resist an argument with, she was a tolerable person. Just after a week though, the blonde had come to understand that she was a 'by-the-book' sort of girl, not one that went with intuition or natural skill. Naruto didn't quite know what use that would have, however at least she had more knowledge than Naruto (which admittedly, wasn't hard). She was pleasant though, although she was quick to anger.

Today was a mission, and Naruto had come to realise- not of her own accord, but Sasuke and Sakura's -that Kakashi was, under no circumstance, on time for the team meetings, and he probably never would be. That wasn't to say that she would be intentionally late, however she would take her time. Not necessarily as a 'fuck you', it was just her taking advantage of extra time. She supposed. The grey-haired jounin had an irritating tendency to be late. It would probably just irritate her more if she made an effort to be on time.

After an hour of showering, getting ready, and looking for food that wasn't out of date, Naruto set off for the meeting point.

* * *

Sasuke waited quietly at the meeting point.

He had turned up on time, unlike the others, he understood. Sakura had wisely took advantage of extra time, for what he was unsure, but he was fairly sure it would be to do with pampering herself, likely to impress him. He didn't mean it in a harsh way, yet he had no interest in her whatsoever, and she just didn't get it. Her attempts were excessive, and he didn't want her to think changing herself would change that, because it wouldn't.

Naruto was likely just using the extra time for sleep, or she was going to Ichiraku's for early morning ramen (the mere idea made him feel sick, but he wouldn't put it past her). That's what he would typically expect from Naruto, in any case.

Of course, his mother simply wouldn't listen to him when he explained that his sensei was stuck in an irritating habit of being hours and hours late for their meetings, and that he should make use of extra time by doing useful things. Mikoto had put it down to him making excuses so he did not have to turn up, and had ushered him off hours earlier than he needed. It was ridiculous, and he understood she had his best interests in mind, but this was going to be such a boring wait.

To his surprise, Kakashi arrived, looking smug underneath his thin black mask, seeing that the other students had not arrived yet. One hand tucked in the pocket, and the other holding open an erotic novel, he looked around and surmised that Sasuke, indeed, was the only one that was on time. "Yo," Kakashi greeted, finally.

Sasuke was not going to beat around the bush. "You're on time today?"

The grey-haired sensei rubbed the back of his head, a sheepish expression on his face (from what Sasuke could tell anyway). "There wasn't any obstructions on the way, today. That, and..."

The young Uchiha raised an eyebrow, not even bothering to ask, and yet expecting an answer. "Well, I got us a mission! A C-Rank, actually." He snapped his erotic novel closed. "We just have to guard a man on his journey to Wave Country. It shouldn't be too difficult, but its better than nothing."

Sasuke looked at him, half-pleased, and still having a solid block of uneasiness and foreboding settling in the pit of his stomach. "Yes," Sasuke confirmed, looking down the path at the blurry figures in the distance that were approaching the meeting point (late, he might add- later than Kakashi). "It is."

* * *

**What did you think? Leave a review, it would help me out a lot. A detailed one would be nice, please leave any improvements you would like in the reviews too! Thanks!**


	7. Chapter 7

** I've decided that it would be wise if I were to shorten my chapters a great deal (by that I don't mean in length- I mean in description. I will try to make things snappier, than my normally lengthy descriptions! The plot is too long for that and I am too impatient), and I will try my very best to achieve that in this chapter. I am also going to try to update quickly to compensate for the slow moving plot. Thanks!**

** Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto or any of its characters, concepts or trademarks.**

* * *

"A C-Rank?!" Naruto cried, eyes alight with excitement. "Really? We get a C-Rank? What are we going to be doing?!"

Sakura looked at her with disdain, but felt curiosity rise in her head too. _What are we doing, anyway? I've never done a C-Rank before... what are they like? _She began to worry, fiddling with her fingers behind her back. _I hope its not anything too hard... or scary._ She took a quick glance at Sasuke, to her right. He was unfazed mostly, with a small smirk of satisfaction on his face.

Sasuke too, was wondering about the mission, but he decided to keep quiet. If they annoyed Kakashi too much, he'd probably revoke the mission entirely, and they would spend a day catching the Daimyo's Wifes' cat again, which was an experience he did not want to recall.

Kakashi looked at the three, and shrugged. "Maa... well, I don't really know myself. Hokage-sama will assign it to us when we get there." He rubbed the back of his head, before putting his hand in his pockets and walking at a steady pace to the Hokage tower, Naruto chatting animatedly to the other two behind him. The jounin heard Sakura scold her loudly, and shook his head._ This team is more trouble than its worth._

As they reached the Hokage tower, they were greeted by two masked ANBU that lead them to the top floor. Kakashi knocked on the Third Hokage's door apprehensively, awaiting permission to come in.

"Come in." His raspy voice, though evidently old, was still bellowing and forceful. It was strange, and yet Kakashi had such respect for the man. To this day he still admired him, even in his old age, as he sat there shrivelled like an autumn leaf, in too big Hokage robes.

"Oyaji!" Narto yelled, eyes alight with happiness as she bundled forward. "How have you been? I haven't spoke to you in _ages-_"

The old man turns around, eyes wrinkled, smiling slightly at the young girl, who had, through the affection of her team mates in the recent weeks, grown to be quite an eccentric and happy young girl. Her smile was warm, and the Third Hokage couldn't help but feel reminiscent at the sight of it.

"-Hokage-sama?"

The old man was interrupted from his thoughts by the short, pink-haired young girl, looking up at him with knotted eyebrows and a quizzical look. He humoured her, a smile on his lips as he nodded slightly. "Have you come for a C-Rank? I just got one this morning." He motioned towards the opposite door to the Hokage Tower, and a somewhat chubby man came out. "This is Tazuna," he continued with a smile. "A bridge builder. This team will be making your acquaintance, sir. It is your responsibility to get him back to his home village safely."

The chubby, middle aged man looked them up and down. "Are you sure these... kids... are capable of taking me back safely?"

The Hokage looked at him questioningly, raising a ragged eyebrow. "Why would they not be, sir?" He had his suspicions. This man was from the Land of Waves; Hiruzen had heard his fair share of information about the monopoly in trade that occurred there, by the hands of the under-handed business man Gatou. Sarutobi was suspicious at the very least.

"No reason," the middle-aged man replied quietly, and made no further comment as he was lead out the building and onto the road by the 4 ninjas.

* * *

The road was quiet, aside from the chattering of the ninja team. More specifically, it was Naruto, who had grown quite the sociable attitude whilst she had been away; a shadow of her quiet, subdued self.

"I can't believe we're doing a C-Rank," she repeated for perhaps the fifth time, face lit up with joy as she walked steadily with her hands behind her back, swaying from side to side as she walked. "So much better than boring D-Ranks. Shikamaru doesn't stop moaning about them."

"Shikamaru?" Sakura asked, before coming to a typical conclusion. "You and Shikamaru?! _No way!_ He's so lazy! Do you like him?" She leaned closer to Naruto as she walked, her face abruptly filled with an eager look for gossip. Sasuke glanced to his left at them, hands in pockets and chin tilted slightly up.

"No!" Naruto blushed, looking downwards, fiddling with her hands nervously. The act was out of nervousness, more than anything. She'd never been asked anything so personal before. "No, never Shikamaru. Just friends."

_Hn._ Sasuke drew his gaze to the road in front of him. The day was quiet, and the road was dusty. The trees around were a monotone green, a consistently somewhat bright shade that continued, with various nooks and crannies that lead deep into the forests either side of the road. The sun was bright, the sky's cloudless, and all Sasuke could hear was the soft call of crickets and the splashing of water.

Wait, what? He turned around quickly, but not quick enough.

"Get off me, you bastard!" Naruto hissed, clawing at the hand that was clasped around her neck. Her left hand reached for her kunai, but the enemy snapped her shoulders back quickly, almost dislocating them as he pulled them to her lower back and used his other hand to press a kunai to her neck, that glistened with purple liquid.

"Move and she's dead," the dark-clothed man murmured, his voice toxic with malice. Kakashi froze, and looked to his right at a bush. He couldn't move, and yet he knew that someone was there; and was proved right, as a similarly-dressed ninja jumped out and bound Narutos legs together and forced her to her knees.

Her blue eyes were wide with fear, and she shook slightly, the sharp blade threatening to pierce her skin as she shook. The ninja pulled her hair back, making her cry out in pain as they forced her gaze upwards, to look her team in the eye.

Sasuke reeled from the action. _I can't do anything... _The killing intent from the two was startling, and he felt as though he couldn't even move, frozen with fear as he watched his blonde female teammate pulled around like a ragdoll. He didn't even know what was happening, he didn't understand! _Who are these people and what do they even want? _Sakura was thinking similarly, frozen, stepping back with fear from these two people. _This was a C-Rank, right?_ All the other ninjas had the normal missions, and yet what was this? The only answer Sakura could conclude was that Tazuna, their client, had lied.

The second ninja snarled at them, pulling at Naruto's hair painfully. "I will only spare her if you give me the man." He beared a horrifying grin, that made Sakura's heart tremble in her chest and made her want to run as fast she could that very moment.

The ebony-haired boy of the group was having similar thoughts, suddenly coming to terms with the fact that Itachi had, in fact, been facing situations like this - more dangerous than this, even - every single day of his life, for the sake of his village. He felt filled with pride, and yet filled with worry, and mostly, filled with fear for his own life, and his team-mates.

Kakashi watched his teams reactions carefully, and decided that although they were scared, they were not running, and they were both thinking. They were frozen with fear, but they were trying. He had known Tazuna had something that he was not telling the Hokage, however he hadn't quite expected something like this. What was so valuable about himself that trained ninjas would come after him?

In any case, Kakashi didn't have time to stand around and observe the situation from a political point of view. That poison was no doubt lethal, and if Naruto had her throat cut with a kunai doused in that, no doubt she would die in minutes. He was no medic ninja; it was better to avoid the situation altogether.

The ninja ragged Naruto's head back again, the fear in her blue eyes causing tiny tears to pool up, not spilling but threatening to fall. Her eyes were wide and unblinking. "What is wrong with you three? Do you not care for your team-mate?" the ninja snarled tauntingly, his kunai still pressed to her neck.

"I never had the opportunity to teach Naruto this lesson," Kakashi explained coolly, hands in pockets as he stepped forwards towards the two ninjas. They looked at him warily, stepping back slightly, dragging Naruto with them.

"Those who abandon the mission are scum..." he continued, stopping in his tracks, and reaching towards his covered eye and lifting it up gently. "But those who abandon their comrades..."

The two ninjas felt a kunai pressed to their throats individually. _How did he get there so-_

"...are worse than scum."

The ninja dropped Naruto, leaving her to kneel on the ground, shaking and eyes unblinking, clutching her own skin in fear, other hand fingering the area that the ninjas had pressed so dangerously against on her neck. Sasuke silently begged her to move, to crawl away, to just get away from the area._ Idiot, what is she doing!? This is no time to be frozen in fear! Kakashi-sensei is fighting those ninjas, and all she will do is get in the way!_

_Like I can talk_, he realised. _I have to do something myself._

The Uchiha ran forward, in the midst of battle, grabbing Naruto by the shoulders. One of the ninjas, drawing his fist back to slash Kakashi with a steel gauntlet, caught Sasuke on the bicep. Naruto, once dazed, all of a sudden twisted her neck sharply; looking at the gash of red that was leaking crimson all down Sasuke's arm, staining his white forearm covers, she felt a mix of fear and guilt ravage her system. Her breathing accelerated, hands shaking as Sasuke pulled her with one arm out of battle, laying her down behind Tazuna.

Naruto's blue eyes stared at him, pupils dilating as she shook and breathed too fast for her. _Why can't I breathe? I need to get air, I need to get air!_ Her vision blurred with unwilling tears as they trickled down from her eyes, rolling down the side of her head into the dusty ground below. He knelt down, one arm hanging limply as he shook her with the other. She couldn't hear a word he was saying.

The pink haired kunoichi looked behind her, seeing Tazuna frozen in fear and Naruto slumped on the ground, straining for breath and clutching at her chest._ I can't... I can't just stand here. I have to impress Sasuke-kun! _She clenched her fists, and reached for a kunai. _He won't like someone who can't protect themselves!_

The dark-clothed ninja laughed as Sasuke clung to his left arm, hissing under his breath at the searing pain that raged through the edges of the wound. He looked up at the two ninjas, both engaged in fierce combat with Kakashi (who was impressively parrying all of their attacks). "That blade," he snarled, narrowly avoiding a slicing attack from Kakashi, "is laced with poison. Consider yourself dead!"

"What about you?" Kakashi asked in painful monotone, as he buried his blade into the throes of the man neck, twisting the handle to the right and pulling the blade through his carotid artery in the space of a few seconds.

The man quivered, before bringing a wary gaze to the bloody fanfare that was spurting out of his neck and all over his clothes, and the road beneath his feet. Looking into the odd looking eyes of the grey-haired jounin, his eyes rolled back and he collapsed to the floor, blood still pouring freshly out of the wound on his neck.

Sharingan!? Sasuke thought, paralysed in shock as he suddenly noticed his sensei's exposed eye, with three swirling commas in it that span above a crimson red iris. _How can that be? He isn't an Uchiha! It's impossible, inconcievable- how could that be?!_ Unless... Sasuke's eyes narrowed, suddenly swirling with suspicion for his once trusted teacher. _...it isn't his own?_

Abruptly, a half-shriek, half-wail wracked the area, the high pitched noise cracking the very area around them in two, and Kakashi felt colder than he had felt in years. That chakra is no ordinary chakra... no way! Could it be that the seal...?! He turned to Tazuna, who was too frozen in fright.

Naruto was wailing, rocking back and forth, curled up in a ball, and though it wasn't tangible - Kakashi couldn't see any chakra, at least - he felt an aura of menace, and he knew the others did too, from the chakra that was circulating inside of her, it seemed.

Sakura approached her, her normally holier-than-thou attitude towards Naruto gone in seconds, and replaced by a precautious, fear filled feeling that swirled around her system like the venom of a snake bite; sudden and lethal. Her hand reached for Naruto's shoulders, as though she was touching a poisonous scorpion. "Naruto," she began, "are you...?"

Her head lifted. "Yes, I'm fine Sakura-chan."

From the sounds of it, Naruto was indeed fine. She sounded okay to Kakashi, and he began to breathe a sigh of relief (if she hadn't been, Hokage-sama would have killed me!)- when all of a sudden he heard a sharp gasp. Funnily enough, the ninja next to him was too, suspended in shock and fear, as though he too knew the presence of an unworldly chakra.

"Don't let your guard down, right?"

The man was pushed to his abdomen by Kakashi, who placed a steady but firm foot on the mans lower abdomen as he pushed him into the dirt. The silver-haired man placed a kunai against his neck, the edge of the blade tickling the skin of his neck. Even as the man remained still, he felt the malice and hatred radiating from him. "Who sent you?" Kakashi asked, voice warningly sharp- almost as piercing as the knife he was pressing against the ninja's neck. The man remained quiet, and Kakashi pressed against his neck even harder.

"Gatou," he spat into the ground. "Gatou. It was Gatou."

"I see," Kakashi responded in a casual monotone. "I thought as much." He sliced the man's neck carelessly, but even now, after his slaughter of perhaps a hundred people, it still got to him. He still hated the blood, the pain, the horror of it all. That was why he did it the painless way if he could. Kakashi had a heart, after all.

Even if it wasn't ideal for working in the ANBU.

He turned to Sakura, eager to see what she had been so surprised about, and didn't see anything out of the ordinary; that is, nothing had changed. Naruto was still curled up in a ball, her head down, shivering in an imaginary cold and straining for air. It was worrying, but nothing was anything different. _So why...?_

"Kakashi-sensei," the pink-haired ninja whispered, voice quivering, "It's her eyes."

The jounin felt his stomach turn. "Naruto, would you mind showing me your eyes?" He tried to be gentle. _If I scare her, she might hyperventilate and pass out._ He waited patiently for the shivering girl to respond.

"Kakashi-sensei," she murmured, lifting her head up, eyes closed, "Am I a monster?"

_What?_

"I mean," she continued, opening her eyes slowly. "What's the different between us and what's inside us?"

Her eyes were a blood red, crimson staining her iris, and her pupils were slit, like the eyes of a feral cat staring a mouse dead in the eyes. Kakashi felt his blood run cold in his very veins, and at that moment he felt as though he was staring into the eyes of death itself; a bringer of death, someone unworldly, treating his student as a marionette.

* * *

_Itachi sat at the kitchen table, back turned to the door, sipping cold coffee, staring out the window. He was still, and tiny faint wisps of steam fluttered across the ceiling and past the lights, briefly immersed in a swirling shape of heat. Despite the steam, the day was irreversibly cold, and Itachi felt himself shiver as he pushed cold coffee down his throat in a futile attempt to wake himself up from his early morning stupor._

_ His mother opened the door quietly, clicking it behind her as she walked to the sink. Pouring soap over the dishes, she desperately tried to be enthusiastic about it, however Itachi could see the dragging of her arms, the fatigue of her movements, and the bones that jutted out of her arm at alarming angles._

_ "Mother..." Itachi's voice was deep, and soothing, and Mikoto turned to him, half smiling, half sorrowful, and she placed down half washed dishes on the draining board and walked over to him, drawing up a chair of the kitchen table and placing her bony elbows on her knees and holding her head in her hands._

_ "Why don't they find anything?" she whispered quietly, her voice hoarse from days of sobbing. Of course, she'd never let Sasuke hear. They had all suffered so much, but she could not let her dearest, youngest son hear her. "Why don't they find who did this?"_

_ Her question was left unanswered, for they knew the answer. They had all known that the father had been doing less than legal activities among the Uchiha, and although Itachi knew quite well that under Sarutobi's rule it was extremely unlikely that the search to find who it was would be a case that the governors of Konoha would investigate thoroughly, even if the death wasn't explained. They had searched no more into the matter, deciding that perhaps his death was beneficial for someone else. Aside from Sarutobi, no sentimental aspect was considered. Even he knew, though, that there was little chance they would find who had done it._

_ Itachi knew instinctively that it was not a ninja of Konohagakure. Not an ANBU, not even a ROOT ANBU. It was not the style of those shinobi; they would never murder him in such a grotesque manner, such a sick way, and they would never let Mikoto and Sasuke live to tell the tale. Though, Mikoto said she couldn't remember anything, racked by fear and worry and terror, Sasuke remembered some of it, some of the events that had happened, though not in such great detail that it would be of any use to the investigative team (who were useless anyway)._

_ In private, Sasuke had said one thing to Itachi that sent him whirling into spirals of confusion. _

_ "Nii-san," he had begun, "The one thing I didn't get was that..." He had paused for a long period of time, eyes skittering from one floor tile to the other as he mentally stuttered, trying to force the words out. Itachi was patient._

_ "I don't get why the person was crying."_

_ Yet, Itachi knew telling his mother this would console her little. What use was remorse, to a lady alone, to a lady with her most beloved dead? Whatever reason that ninja had had to commit that crime, be it orders or obligations, it would not take away the fact that he was gone, and whether her husband was a criminal or not, Itachi knew his mother would never fully recover from Fugaku's death. The atrocity of the manner it was performed in was no help either. How could one with remorse perform his death in such a brutal manner, instead of just slitting his throat and leaving him be? _

_ The only conclusion Itachi could come to was insanity, and surely, Mikoto would be forever tortured, knowing that her husband had died such a pointless death. He instead stayed quiet._

_ Maybe he would forever. _

_ Instead, forever silent, Itachi rubbed his mothers back in a futile attempt at consolation as she sobbed, eerily drifting his hand over the jagged bumps of her spine as he realised the full extent of her weight loss._

* * *

Naruto heard low voices as she woke up.

It was no longer day, she saw, as she stared outside the window of a home she did not recognise. The sun had just set, and the sky was left with the remnants of a orange sunset- the far end of the sky a deep blue dotted with pinpricks of white that shimmered and sparkled like the evening itself was wearing an evening dress behind the deep blue, moth ridden dressing curtain of night.

She pulled the blanket off of herself, stepping up off of a surprisingly comfortable futon and stretching. The blonde was still in her ninja clothing, and felt it appropriate to go change into something more suited for the evening. She scoured the room for her backpack with her change of clothes in, before finding it right behind her. Naruto quickly changed into a purple nightgown, comfortable and made of cotton. She walked out into the unfamiliar home's kitchen, looking around warily at the family.

There was a young boy, wearing a strange looking hat and a pair of dungarees, who was very short and had a shock of black hair atop his head, peeking out from under his hat. Tazuna the bridge builder was stood there, and a young woman, pretty and quiet, smiled at her. She guessed she was the boy's mother.

Naruto opened her mouth to introduce herself, but stopped short, awkardly thinking of what to say. All of a sudden, she smiled brightly, a wide and somewhat forced smile crossing her face. "Hello! I'm Uzumaki Naruto, and I'm sorry to have kept you waiting," she laughed. She judged, by the relieved look on her friend's faces, that her eyes had returned to normal.

Her team all sighed, hoping that her introduction would have been more eloquent so as to make a good impression with those that she was staying with. Alas, that was too much to ask, naturally.

"I'm Tsunami," the young woman replied, smiling, "And this is my son Inari, and my father Tazuna, the bridge builder who you have been protecting." She pointed at each person she was speaking about as she did so appropriately. The woman's face suddenly changed into an expression of concern. "I hear you had problems with hyperventilation?"

Naruto flushed with embarassment. _I'm a ninja... I'm not supposed to act like that! I acted like such a girl!_ She shook her head slightly at herself. "Yeah but it won't happen again! I'm gonna become Hokage. That was just a slip up." She giggled nervously at the end.

Its strange, Sakura thought. She's more sociable with strangers. Is she trying to make a good impression in her own way?

The team (excluding Sasuke who just stood there in silence) made small talk about the bridge and the village with the family for ten minutes or so, before there was a shock of anger and loudness that disrupted it.

"You're all going to fail!" Naruto turned to the source of the noise, the short boy, with apparently very large lungs. "You're never going to beat Gatou, you're going to die, it's all worthless! You might as well just quit while you're at it!"

Tsunami turned to her son. "Inari! These are our gues-" She stopped midsentence; Inari had ran off, in a teary rage, to upstairs. "I'm sorry," she sighed, sitting down at the table. "His father died at the hands of Gatou a while ago."

The team were left speechless, searching for words to say that were both sensitive and reassuring, and also not offensive. Sakura found them first. "Ah, I see," she responded quietly. "It must have been very difficult for you and him."

"Oh no, no!" Tsunami corrected, with a mirthless smile on her face. "No, we were not married. He was just very close to this man like a son would be to his father. He was a man who worked for his village, a hard working, heroic man. To frighten the village into obeying him, Gatou made an example of him." She put her head in her hands, shaking her head as she did so. "It was terrible."

Tazuna, too, looked sorrowful.

Team 7 bowed their heads in respect for the mans sacrifice, but Naruto stretched. "I think I'm going to go outside," she said quietly, and walked outside quietly, barefoot, without a word. The family and team looked at her, half-tempted to call her back, however all of them decided against it, and Naruto left the house in silence.

Naruto felt the grass beneath her toes. This unfamiliar land was likely the Land of Waves, their original destination. It smelled salty, likely from the thick fog and the seawater. It was nice; it reminded her of the mountains she had ventured up when she had stayed in the Land of Lightning. She had loved that time with Jiraiya. She had learned so much, and yet she wish she could have stayed there longer.

The blonde supposed it was pleasant to see her friends at home too, though.

She walked through the grass, and she could hear the lapping of water, though she couldn't see it through the fog; she walked precariously, before seeing the turbulent reflection of herself in the water. Settling herself on the rocks, she swung her feet, toes skimming the surface of the water as she sat. Slowly, she lowered herself into the water, for what reason she could not comprehend - _I can't even swim!_ - and found that the water reached her waist, and became only deeper as she walked out.

If the Nine-Tailed beast that rested inside her gut was a fire, then this water put it out. It was cold, soothing, comforting and regulated. She loved it for some reason she could not explain. The soft lapping of water against the rocks was like the ticking of a clock, regulated and continuous and made her almost fall asleep. Naruto began to swim, as though she had been doing it all her life, her arms reaching out and smoothing through the water as though she was a streamlined fish. Her body bucked and dipped where necessary, and she found herself swimming underwater, vision blurry but still vision nonetheless. Soaked, and still in her nightgown, she arose from under the water, and became aware of the startling cold that she had somehow ignored. Naruto shivered.

"When did you learn how to swim?"

Naruto turned to Sasuke, who was sat on the rocks, looking at her with a confused expression. It was nosy of him to even know, she supposed, but it was a fair question. _Where _had_ she learned to swim?_

"I don't know," she realised, feet suddenly losing their expertise and sinking to the sandbed. She blinked, looking at the sky. The fog was clearing, and she could see the moon, shining on her and scattering its moonlight onto the lapping depths of the sea. Strangely, the moonlit surface of the sea reminded her of scattered bedsheets.

"You don't know?" Sasuke asked, ebony eyebrows knotted in confusion.

"I don't," Naruto replied.

Inari watched silently from his bedroom window, eyes gazing at the strange female ninja, soaked, and bathed in moonlight, almost like an angel.

* * *

**Things will get more interesting, promise. I have quite a detailed plot laid out for you in the future. Hopefully won't get too confusing. I tried my best to make things 'shorter' and 'sweeter' in this paragraph. I have been less descriptive in this chapter. I would REALLY appreciate some feedback to let me know if you like this style, or would you prefer my descriptive natural way of writing? Thanks so much! Reviews are more than welcome.**


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